


Goddammit!

by beccyz



Category: VIXX
Genre: Demon Summoning, Demons, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-01-20 23:19:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12444102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beccyz/pseuds/beccyz
Summary: Hongbin’s week included studying, being attacked by a thick book and summoning a demon in the middle of the night. How is your week going so far?





	1. PART ONE

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fanfiction. I don’t own any of the Vixx memebers mentioned in this text. Please note that this is a work of fiction and that it does not in any case represents the true identity or character of the Vixx members. 
> 
> **Trigger warning:** demons (I guess), smut in later chapters
> 
> So I finally manage to post this fanfiction. I know a lot expected a sequel for True Disaster but I have no clue what to write about yet so here you go with a new story.   
> This is tagged as a demon au but don’t expect blood and gore or something. This is a really fluffy story and I tried to make it funny. You might say that it isn’t a real demon au at well. I hope you’ll enjoy this story anyway. It’s going to have ten parts and I’ll try to post at least one part a week. 
> 
> Please forgive any grammatical mistakes, spelling etc. English isn’t my first language but I tried my best to get rid of a lot of mistakes.
> 
> P.S.: As usual this was supposed to be a short story but things got out of hand.

**PART ONE**

 

We all wish that we had a time machine from time to time. If Hongbin could go back in time then he would do a lot of things differently, especially scold himself for even thinking that it might be a remotely good idea to summon a demon. But let’s start from the beginning. It all started when Hongbin was in the library, searching for a copy of Hamlet. He needed it for his next paper and also he simply loved that play. He had been browsing the shelves while his best friend searched for a free table. He had just turned into a new section when that cursed book attacked him out of nowhere. It hit his head and a colorful curse left his mouth. 

 

“What the fuck,” hissed Hongbin and rubbed the place where the book had hit his head. It really hurt and there might’ve been some tears in his eyes, but he would deny that if someone ever asked him about that incident. His brown eyes focused on the book that now laid in front of his feet. It was a rather old looking book with a used up leather binding and yellowed pages. He had always had a soft spot for old books. They had survived so many years and their smell was unique, something that weirdly soothed him. He bent down to take a closer look at the book. It had no title and there was no other indication what it might be about or who had written it. Hongbin was in the history section, so surely it must belong there or someone had thought it was funny to throw a random book against his head. Sounded just like a thing Jaehwan would do out of boredom. Hongbin scowled and touched the book, but a weird feeling rushed through his body as soon as his fingertips grazed the cover. He felt as if he was doing something forbidden and that someone might catch him any second. 

 

It was just a book what could go wrong, right? Oh boy, he had been so naive. Hongbin picked it up and carefully opened it up. Great, it was in Latin or that’s at least what it looked like to Hongbin. He rolled his eyes and tried to find the place where the book had stood, but there was no gap between the other books. They were all close together and surely a thick book like this one wouldn’t be smashed between the other ones. Hongbin shrugged and took the book with him. He would give it to one of the librarians before he went home. They would know where it belonged, but he just couldn’t let it lay there on the floor or put it somewhere else. God, that would ruin the whole system of the library and someone might really desperately need it. 

 

He made his way back to the desks, Hamlet had been forgotten thanks to the new book in his hands. His best friend sat in front of several opened books and his laptop but was texting on his phone. A typical image because Jaehwan had a hard time focusing on his studies unless there was a deadline or the exam was the next day. Hongbin had literally pushed him to go to the library and study there. He would be way more productive without his friend, but he wanted some company for once and Jaehwan’s time was limited now that he had a boyfriend. Hongbin hadn’t seen his friend in weeks, only for a few minutes during lunchtime and they had had some phone calls, but nothing more. He was happy for his friend and his new relationship, but he couldn’t help but feel lonely at times. Sure he had other friends, but Jaehwan was his best friend. It wasn’t the same with anyone else. 

 

“Took you long enough to come back. Um, I might not be an expert, but I’m sure Hamlet isn’t that big Hongbin,” remarked Jaehwan as he noticed the book that Hongbin was carrying. Hongbin could only roll his eyes at his friend. 

 

“Smartass. I know that this isn’t Hamlet, but it literally attacked me,” said Hongbin as he sat down and put the book on the table. Jaehwan’s eyes were still focused on the book. Hongbin couldn’t stop staring at it either. It had a weird effect on both of them, but he ignored that. It was just a book. 

 

“Attacked you? Did it punch you in the face?” laughed Jaehwan, which earned him a deadly glare from Hongbin who replied dryly: “No it hit the back of my head.”

 

“I would’ve paid money to see that.”

 

“Asshole.”

 

“Love you too. What is it about?” asked Jaehwan which was rather unusual because the older one didn’t particularly care about books. This book really seemed to have an effect on people. Hongbin mustered it warily and would be glad once it was gone. He wasn’t the type to be paranoid or something, but he didn’t like the feeling this book gave him. 

 

“Don’t know, it’s written in Latin,” answered Hongbin and saw Jaehwan rolling his eyes. 

 

“And you still decided to take it back with you?”

 

“I’m going to give it to the librarians before I go home because I didn’t know where to put it.”

 

“Just squeeze it between all the other books,” suggested Jaehwan easily which made Hongbin’s eye twitch nervously. That thought alone made him queasy. 

 

“Ugh, that’s not how it works. We’re not in a grocery store,” replied Hongbin, sounding rather distressed while his best friend just shrugged.

 

“No, a grocery store is more fun and there’s food.”

 

“You’re the worst. Learn to appreciate books!” sighed Hongbin.

 

“You start to sound like Taekwoon,” groaned Jaehwan, but couldn’t help the little smile that formed on his lips as soon as he said his boyfriend’s name. It was endearing, but also disgusting.

 

“Well, he’s right!”

 

“I don’t need my best friend and boyfriend bonding against me.”

 

“Don’t be dramatic and focus on your work,” advised Hongbin who finally managed to tear his eyes away from the book and unpacked his stuff. 

 

“Ugh, fine,” sighed Jaehwan dramatically before he took one of the books and aimlessly started to read. 

 

“Sometimes, I can’t believe that I’m the younger one,” murmured Hongbin and shook his head with a smile on his lips. 

 

“Hey, I heard that!” hissed Jaehwan and threw a pellet of paper against Hongbin’s head who only managed to laugh at the silly antics of his friend. A few minutes later, Hongbin had to stand up once again, this time really searching for Hamlet. He came back to the table only to see Jaehwan asleep on his books. He shook his head before he turned back to his own studies. As long as the older one didn’t start to snore, Hongbin wouldn’t wake him. He tried to focus on studying, but his eyes always wandered back to that book. On the one hand, he wanted it as far away from him as possible, but on the other hand, he wanted to devour every single page of this book. It was a rather weird conflict because it was just a book. He shouldn’t feel that divided over a simple book. In the end, he decided to cover the book with a few of his papers so that it wouldn’t distract Hongbin anymore. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Well, that didn’t really work because all Hongbin could think about was that book and what it might entail. 

 

 

*******

 

Jaehwan and he had more or less successfully finished their study session in the library around nine o’clock in the evening. It was the earliest Hongbin had ever left the library in his career as a student. His best friend had never understood how he managed to stay in that stuffed building all day, but Hongbin simply enjoyed being surrounded by hundreds of books and a quiet atmosphere that helped him to focus. Jaehwan had already left their desk and stood outside of the library waiting for Hongbin. He was still packing his bags and was about to leave the desk as well when his eyes fell onto that book again. A heavy sigh left his lips, and he picked it up. He had planned to give it to the librarians, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he simply packed it into his bag. He had even checked if someone had watched him because he felt so guilty for even touching that book. 

 

He ignored the sinking feeling that wanted to take over his body and left the library. Jaehwan was already trembling due to the cold and shot Hongbin a dark glance for letting him wait for that long. Hongbin only patted his back with a light grin while hiding his own face in his scarf to escape the biting cold. This winter was harsh with biting cold winds and frost everywhere, but at least it hadn’t snowed yet. Jaehwan walked close to him, trying to catch a bit of body heat before they had to part ways. They used to room together, but a few weeks ago Jaehwan had moved in with Taekwoon and Hongbin had found a smaller apartment for himself. He could still take in a roommate if he wanted to, but he didn’t need and want to. Ever since he started working for his professor, he was able to afford to live alone. Sometimes his mother and grandmother still send him some money, but he rarely used it. Instead, he saved it for bad times. 

 

They reached the crossroad where they had to part ways. Jaehwan only lived a few blocks away from him, it was barely a five-minute walk. Somehow he was glad that his best friend was still nearby so that he would be able to visit him whenever he felt like it. The great distance between him and his family had never really bothered him, but a bigger distance between him and his best friend made him nervous. Hongbin usually ignored that feeling and enjoyed his time alone, but he was glad whenever Jaehwan found time for him. It was always good to know that you had someone that you could lean on. 

 

“Ah, I’ll miss you Beanie. Don’t study too much,” sighed Jaehwan and wrapped his arms around Hongbin. It was a fierce and long hug, as Hongbin had expected. He huffed a laugh and returned the hug. 

 

“We’ll see each other by no later than Christmas. No need to get sentimental.”

 

“You’re just as sentimental as I am. You just can’t show it because it would be too ‘awkward’.”

 

“Don’t mock me, Lee Jaehwan,” warned Hongbin jokingly and Jaehwan only rolled his eyes. 

 

“Don’t need to, you do that to yourself every day,” replied the older one with a grin whereupon Hongbin pushed him lightly with his shoulder. 

 

“Prick!”

 

“Love you. See you soon, Beanie!” yelled Jaehwan, as he crossed the street in a hurry. Hongbin shook his head with a slight smile before continuing his way back home. Suddenly, it felt as if his bag was weighing him down. The easy lightness that surrounded him whenever Jaehwan was around faded, and he felt gloomy. It was normal to him, but today it felt even worse than on the other days. As if he was dragging something with him that he couldn’t bear. Maybe his bag was just too heavy thanks to the thick book he had so recklessly taken with him. There was no use in wasting time to think about all of this. All he wanted to do was go home, make himself a nice cup of hot tea and lounge on his old coach. 

 

*******

 

It was past midnight, and he was still awake which wasn’t entirely unusual, but he had felt tired all day so it should’ve been easy for him to fall asleep. However, he was still laying in his bed wide awake, his body itching with unused energy. A groan left his lips as he turned around for the hundredth time. Something was nagging at the back of his head and it weren’t his usual worries about failing an exam. It was that damn book. It just wouldn’t leave him alone, no matter how hard he tried to distract himself. His fingers itched to touch it while his eyes wanted to devour its pages. There was no use in fighting his curiosity anymore because he wouldn’t fall asleep anytime soon. 

 

Sighing, he stood up and went back into his tiny living room where the book was still packed in his bag. He had thrown it rather carelessly on the kitchen counter because he had been too exhausted to care. He took out the big book which felt much heavier than it had back in the library. Before he started to get lost in the book, he made himself another tea in hopes that it might soothe his nerves. 

 

With the cup and the book in his hands, he settled on his used up green couch. He felt as if he was doing something forbidden as he opened the book. It gave him a sinking feeling, anxiety spread through his body but his curiosity was much stronger. He flipped the cover and noticed something strange immediately. He remembered clearly that the book had been written in a foreign language before, most probably Latin. Now, however, it was written in his native language. Hongbin blinked several times to make sure that he wasn’t imagining things, but he could read the words clearly and understood them, well more or less. Reading that book made his head feel thick as if he had drunk too much wine and there was a headache forming, but he couldn’t stop himself from reading that title page all over again. 

 

“Grand Guide of Demons and how to summon them,” read Hongbin out loud and had to scoff. Someone clearly had too much free time. 

 

“Written by yours truly Satan or what?” murmured Hongbin as he flipped the pages and took a sip from his tea. 

 

Surely there were a lot of descriptions of Demons and some illustrations, but Hongbin wouldn’t take any of this seriously. Maybe he only tried to distract himself from the fear that pulsed underneath his skin. The further he read into the book the stronger it became. However, it didn’t bother Hongbin because he liked a bit of fear. It made him feel reckless hence why he was still browsing through that book. He had always liked to explore so-called haunted houses, though Jaehwan had never been the best partner for such investigations. He had lost touch with his ghost hunter past throughout the years, but he was still a bit fascinated by the supernatural. He would never pretend that ghosts didn’t exist. However, demons were a different story. They were terrifying and Hongbin would rather live oblivious of them. This book was just a piece of paper and nothing of this seemed even remotely real to him. Jaehwan would’ve probably screamed by now and hid underneath the covers of Hongbin’s bed. Hongbin had always been a bit braver and to be honest more reckless than his best friend. Tonight his recklessness would reach its peak because he would try to summon a demon. You know just for fun because it wasn’t going to work anyway. His common sense told him to just go to bed, but sleep deprived mind thought differently. Nothing good ever happened after midnight and Hongbin would have to learn it the hard way. 

 

*******

 

The instructions were rather simple, at least for the preparation part. He had increased the heat in his apartment to a maximum, and he already started sweating as he drew a pentagram with chalk on his floorboards. This was by far the most ridiculous thing he had ever done, and he wished that Jaehwan had been there to join him. It would’ve been way more fun. Anyways, Hongbin continued with the preparations while sweating profusely. As soon as his next bills came in, he would regret setting his heater to the max. His sleep deprived mind didn’t care, and he washed the chalk off his hands. 

 

The next thing he did was set up some candles, all pretty much cliché and as he had expected. He had already chosen a random demon from the book, but one that wouldn’t eat him alive, torture him or sucked up his sexual energy. No incubus for Hongbin. He had to stop himself from laughing at his own ridiculous thoughts. He had chosen a minor demon that wouldn’t cause too much damage. If this even worked in the first place which Hongbin highly doubted. 

 

Still, he made sure to draw a protective circle with chalk around himself and covered it with some salt. Now, all he had left to do was sacrifice a drop of his blood and read the incantation out loud. He already felt silly and wanted to back out, but hadn’t done all that work for nothing. He granted himself a shot of Vodka to give himself some liquid courage. Hongbin shook his head and picked up the book as he stood in his protective circle. It was really hard not to laugh, and he really wished that he could share this with somebody. Maybe he should’ve set up his camera for a live stream. 

 

The candles burned, the heat was on full blast, a drop of blood was in the middle of the pentagram, and he was standing in his circle. All set and ready to go. He heaved a big sigh before he started reading. Seriously, he had to read this three times in a row? This time it was all Latin, and he was glad that he had had a few Latin lessons before so his pronunciation wasn’t that gruesome. Actually, it didn’t matter, but Hongbin was a perfectionist. If he did this then he would do it properly.The words left his mouth far easier than he had expected. It was as if someone else was forming the words in his throat. They felt foreign on his tongue, but also familiar. A rather odd sensation. 

 

Once he finished the incantation for the third time, he stared at the pentagram for a few minutes. Nothing happened, and he was a bit disappointed to be quite honest. He didn’t know what he had expected, but he had hoped for at least a bit of action. Now, all this work had been for nothing. He closed the book while rolling his eyes and muttered: “Well that went well!”

 

He was about to step out of his protective circle when a wave of fear crashed through his body. It nearly made him fall to his knees, but he managed to keep himself upright. His eyes immediately shot to the pentagram that was spitting out black fog. It slowly spread itself through Hongbin’s living room and nearly obscured his view. The temperature dropped rather suddenly to a point that made Hongbin shiver involuntarily. It was nearly as cold as outside and a blue fire started to burn in the middle of the pentagram. Hongbin prayed that his floor wouldn’t be ruined. He should’ve rather prayed for his own life, but he was too shocked to even realize that. He could only watch as the fire became bigger and burned brighter. So bright that he had to squint at it. 

 

A dark silhouette started to become visible in the flames and Hongbin felt his heart sink into his stomach. Another wave of fear made his body tremble, and he was really glad that he had drawn a protective circle around himself. He never would’ve thought that this might actually work. He had thought that it would be a nice joke, but not that a demon would literally appear in his living room. The blue fire dimmed and Hongbin was able to look at the demon he had summoned. It was a tall male looking creature whose eyes looked like the blue fire for a few moments until they started to dim. The blue faded into a deep brown color and those eyes mustered Hongbin with interest. Their gaze was far more intense than Hongbin had expected. He nearly wanted to take a step backward but remembered that it would be safer to stay inside of his circle. 

 

The demon was wearing what looked like a simple black suit and his hair laid flat on top of his head. It had a deep blue color that suited his pale skin rather well. Hongbin had to gulp because not only had he summoned a demon but a very attractive one as well. Its plump lips formed themselves into a smirk as his gaze wandered over Hongbin twice. 

 

“Finally an attractive summoner!” said the demon in a deep voice that made Hongbin weak at the knees. He had made sure that he wouldn’t summon an incubus and he was pretty sure that this demon wasn’t one but damn. He definitely had an effect on Hongbin. However, that was overshadowed by the sheer fear that filled Hongbin. What had he done? 

 

“Oh fuck my life!”


	2. PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part is a bit longer than the first one. I hope that you'll enjoy it! Also thank you for all the kudos, subscriptions and comments. I really appreciate them ♥︎♥︎♥︎

**PART TWO**

 

“Well that’s a rather naughty word to say, isn’t it?” mused the demon playfully and flicked some invisible dust from his shoulder. Hongbin was starting to panic, now that the reality finally sunk in. He had summoned a freaking demon into his living room. He had thought it would just be a joke and now he was fucked. How do you get rid of a demon anyway? There must be something in that book. 

 

“Oh god,” shouted Hongbin, trying to find the book which had been in his hands a few minutes ago. It had been there just a second ago. He felt how the demon watched him in amusement, but Hongbin didn’t feel like laughing. He felt like freaking out and screaming out loud. 

 

“That won’t help because I have no deal with that so-called God. We let them do their business and they let us do our business!” explained the demon, but Hongbin wasn’t really listening because he was still freaking out. He wanted to pace around the room, but he was rooted to the spot. Too afraid to leave his protective circle. 

 

“What the hell?” asked Hongbin, once he realized that the demon had talked to him. 

 

“Yeah, that’s where I came from. Far colder than you might expect,” said the demon in a rather conversational tone. Hongbin really hadn’t expected this at all. He always had imagined demons to be blood-thirsty monsters or tricksters, but that demon seemed just like a human, a rather witty human. 

 

"I can’t believe that I summoned a freaking demon. Where is that damn book?”

 

“Apparently you’re not a bright one. If you had been intelligent than you would have read that book until the end where it clearly says that it vanishes once you summoned a demon!”

 

“Hey, my IQ is above average and what the fuck did you just say?”

 

“What is an IQ? And I think you understood perfectly clear what I said unless you’re deaf which I highly doubt.”

 

“IQ means intelligence quotient. So there’s no way to get rid of you?”

Hongbin was starting to get desperate because there was no way that he would stand in this circle for the rest of his life. That was a rather miserable idea. 

 

“So your HQ must be pretty high too and no you won’t get rid of me,” clarified the demon with a shrug as he put his hands into his pockets. It made him look casual and even more attractive, but Hongbin wasn’t going to get distracted by that. There were more pressing matters to attend to. 

 

“HQ?”

 

“Hot quotient,” said the demon with a wink that made Hongbin roll his eyes. Of course, he had to summon the most annoying demon of all time. 

 

“The worst pun I’ve ever heard. Oh god, there has to be a way to get rid off you!”

 

“There might be one.”

 

“Well then how about you spill the beans,” hissed Hongbin rather pissed off by now, but the demon only clicked his tongue. He didn’t seem to like Hongbin’s tone of voice. 

 

“You’re pretty mouthy for a human. Do you think that Pentagram will keep me at bay or that stupid circle will protect you? That’s rather adorable!”

 

"So my protective circle is completely useless?”

Hongbin’s panic skyrocketed and he really wanted to punch himself for taking this stupid book home. If only he had a time machine. 

 

“Pretty much. It’s just in the instructions to give humans a false sense of security. It’s rather nice to see their terrified faces once we step into their circles,” stated the demon casually and stepped out of his circle and closer to Hongbin who immediately took a step backward. Holy shit, he really was in trouble. He should’ve stayed in bed instead of giving in to his curiosity. That never led to anything good and this time it had led to a demon. 

 

“Thanks for giving me that fair warning,” Hongbin managed to say as he tried to keep his breathing steady. A panic attack wouldn’t be helpful right now. 

 

“My pleasure,” said the demon with another wink, but this time Hongbin didn’t feel that spark of annoyance. He was too busy panicking. What will that demon do to him? He really should’ve read that book properly. Usually, he would never do anything spontaneously, he always planned ahead and read every book thoroughly. 

 

“So how is this going to work? You make my life a living hell?” asked Hongbin, trying to distract himself from the rising panic inside of him. 

 

“Oh no, that’s not my expertise. First of all, how about we introduce ourselves? What’s your name, _handsome_?” There was that stupid wink again. It was the only thing that distracted Hongbin from his panic and made annoyance surface. 

 

“Would you please stop hitting on me? It’s rather, ugh well, awkward. My name is Hongbin.”

 

“Hongbin, hmm? Sounds nice. I’m not going to tell you my real name because it would literally burn off your tongue. I go by Sanghyuk.”

 

“Sanghyuk, really?” probed Hongbin with a raised eyebrow. The demon smiled. 

 

“Yeah. Is it a bad name?”

 

“No, it’s actually fine. Just not what I expected for a demon,” confessed Hongbin. His panic was fading and it started to feel as if he was talking to a human. His brain screamed at him that there was still a demon in front of him and not a fellow student. 

 

“Well, it’s a human name after all, isn’t it? Not really suitable for a demon, but I make it work,” shrugged Sanghyuk nonchalantly. 

 

“Yeah, yeah whatever. What’s going to happen now?” Hongbin really wanted some answers and his panicked state didn’t distract him from that matter anymore. He really didn’t look forward to a life with a demon by his side. 

 

“Still mouthy and straight to the point. I really begin to like you, Hongbin,” confessed Sanghyuk and scratched his chin. Hongbin felt a shiver run down his spine as soon as his name fell from the demon’s lips. He didn’t like that sound at all. 

 

“Stop saying my name like that.”

 

“Like what?” inquired Sanghyuk amused and Hongbin only rolled his eyes. It was no use discussing with that demon. 

 

“Nevermind.”

 

“No need to become shy.”

 

“Dickhead.”

 

“You really got some nerves to insult a demon. You’re really lucky that I’m one of the nice ones,” revealed Sanghyuk as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. For a moment, Hongbin felt intimidated, but that easily vanished because he simply couldn’t take that demon seriously, not after all that flirting. 

 

"Oh really, are you?” noted Hongbin sarcastically which earned him a wicked grin from the demon. Not attractive at all, he chanted in his head. 

 

“Far nicer than you might think.”

 

Hongbin only stared at the demon with annoyance. A few seconds of silence fell before Sanghyuk threw his hands up in defeat and said: “Okay, I’ll get to the point. The deal is: you offered your blood, so we’re bound to each other until you die. That’s also your only way out of the deal.”

 

“I have to die to get rid off you?”

 

“Exactly. Bright prospects, right? So we’ll be roommates for the time being. Nice change in atmosphere for me.”

 

“So wait. How will this work? Can other people see you? What are you eating? And will you torment me or what?” There were so many questions running through Hongbin’s head, he could barely comprehend them into sentences. He didn’t want a roommate in the first place and especially not a demon. 

 

“You should’ve read my description before summoning me. I feel rather offended right now. Anyways, I don’t eat human food and yes other humans can see me, but I can’t strike a deal with them because I solely belong to you,” another wink was added and Hongbin could literally feel his own eye twitch in annoyance. That demon would definitely cost him some nerves. 

 

“That isn’t very uplifting,” remarked Hongbin, but it didn’t seem to dim the demon’s excitement though. 

 

“No? You’ll learn to love me. Anyways, I’m a demon that feeds on the fear and anxiety of humans.”

 

“Perfect since I’m a college student.”

 

“I’m not familiar with that slang. It’s been a while since I’ve been to earth,” said Sanghyuk flatly, but Hongbin was suspicious. He narrowed his eyes before asking: “Are you pulling my leg?”

 

Sanghyuk grinned widely, seemingly satisfied: “Got me there. See we’re already getting along perfectly.”

 

“I highly doubt that. Okay, so you feed on my fear and anxiety and that’s it?”

 

“I don’t feed on my summoner. No, I get fed automatically by everyone on earth, just not by you. It’s kind of in the contract,” explained Sanghyuk. 

 

"I would love to see that contract,” intervened Hongbin because he didn’t remember signing a contract in the first place. Maybe his blood had been enough to form a pact of some kind with that demon. 

 

“Sorry can’t provide you with that. Anyways, food won’t be a problem, so don’t worry. Tormenting you? If you call witty comments and some flirting tormenting then you’re right but other than that I won’t do anything to you.”

 

“And where is the fun in that for you?”

 

“I get out of hell for a few years and I’m obliged to infuse fear into everyone that even remotely hurts you, physically and mentally.”

 

Hongbin perked up at that. That sounded more like a demon, but it also sounded rather protective. As if the demon might actually care about his summoner. 

 

“Sounds like a weird reverse guardian angel thing,” commented Hongbin thoughtfully. 

 

“Kind of but guardian angels are douchebags and always try to handle things the ‘right way’. They usually mean the non-violent way,” Sanghyuk rolled his eyes at that whereas Hongbin lifted an eyebrow inquiringly. That non-violent comment concerned him. 

 

“But you’re not going to kill people are you?” checked Hongbin to be on the safe side. Sanghyuk only huffed a laugh before answering: “No that’s not my style. They might have some panic attacks or just a general increase in paranoia. You know all the stuff that is connected to fear.”

 

“Okay. I still don’t like this at all.”

 

“It’ll be fun. I’m a very good roommate,” promised Sanghyuk with a smile and stepped closer towards Hongbin who immediately stepped away from the demon, not wanting to get too close. He thought that he might burst into flames as soon as the demon touched him. Sanghyuk didn’t seem to be bothered by his retreat. He had probably dealt with that before. 

 

“Highly doubt that,” murmured Hongbin, tired from the conversation. He only wanted to hit the hay and hope that this had just been a very bad dream. 

 

“Believe me, you’ll be thankful that you summoned me.”

 

“Whatever. I’m going to sleep,” announced Hongbin, already on his way to his bedroom. He heard Sanghyuk’s steps on the wooden floor that he would have to clean tomorrow. 

 

“I’ll-”

 

“Don’t even think about it. You can crash on the couch!” hissed Hongbin and pointed to the couch. Sanghyuk pouted slightly, but that wasn’t going to work on Hongbin. Summoning a demon, okay, but sleeping next to him? No way. This was all way too crazy for Hongbin. He needed sleep or else he might freak out. This was all just a bad dream, he repeated in his head. 

 

“You’re no fun!”

 

“Get used to it!”

 

*******

 

The next morning, Hongbin woke up with bleary eyes and a pounding head. His alarm was way too loud and if he could spare the money then he would’ve thrown his phone against the wall, but he used the more reasonable option. He simply turned the alarm off. Hongbin wasn’t a person that used the snooze button. Either he stood up right away or he wouldn’t leave the bed at all. There was no in between. With a groan, he heaved himself out of the bed and into the en-suite bathroom. His shower was fast and methodical. Soap, rinse and dry. 

 

He slipped into some simple blue jeans and a black hoodie before leaving his room. He never bothered to make his bed. It was going to be messy again anyway, so what was the point? Last nights events had been shoved out of his head and he ignored the mess that was still on his living room floor. There were more pressing matters he had to attend to, like making himself a big cup of coffee or he might die during his first lecture. The coffee maker was brewing and he stood with his back to the living room. He wasn’t going to acknowledge the being that lounged on his coach. He was too focused on watching his coffee. Only when he had the full mug in his hands, he turned around and saw the demon’s face with a huge grin on his lips. 

 

“God fucking dammit,” cursed Hongbin out loud and put his mug down or else he would’ve spilled the precious coffee all over himself. Sanghyuk’s grin only widened at Hongbin’s reaction. 

 

“Good morning roommate! Thought I might leave overnight or that if you ignore me I would simply go? That’s not how it’s going to work,” said the demon cheerily and stood up gracefully from the couch. Hongbin hated him even more. 

 

“Ugh why?”

 

“We have a contract silly.”

 

“I need more coffee,” grumbled Hongbin and emptied his mug in one go. He ignored the burning sensation on his tongue and simply poured himself another coffee. Sanghyuk had strolled into the kitchen as if it belonged to him. It irritated Hongbin immensely. 

 

“You off to university today?” asked Sanghyuk casually as he mustered Hongbin’s attire. 

 

“Yes,” drawled Hongbin, suspicious of what the demon might be up to. 

 

“Got the whole place to myself, nice.”

 

“Don’t burn the house down. This is the only affordable place near my university,” pleaded Hongbin irritated which only made the demon smile. Hongbin was on the verge to spill his coffee in Sanghyuk’s face if he didn’t stop with that stupid (but also attractive) smile. 

 

“I’m not going to burn anything down. I have hell business to attend to,” clarified Sanghyuk and sounded rather offended by Hongbin’s assumption. The latter raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

 

“Hell business?”

 

“We have to manage hell. It’s not going to work on his own.”

 

“It’s too early for this shit.”

 

“You don’t have to worry about our flat,” reassured Sanghyuk, but it wasn’t soothing Hongbin’s nerves at all. The way he had said ours. Like a duck takes to water. It irritated Hongbin. 

 

“It’s my flat. I’m paying for it,” hissed Hongbin before taking another sip from his coffee. Sanghyuk still had that stupid playful smile on his lips. Hongbin wanted to scratch his eyes out. 

 

“Ah come on, don’t be like that.”

 

“I’m leaving,” announced Hongbin, sick off talking to the demon. He had wasted too much time already and might be late for his first lecture. Not that anyone would care, but Hongbin liked to be punctual no matter what. He was nearly out of the door when he heard Sanghyuk call after him: “Don’t miss me too much.”

 

Hongbin ground his teeth hard before replying: “Won’t happen.”

 

He slammed the door, not caring that he might have woken some of his neighbors and made his way to university. Stupid demon. There had to be a way to get rid off him and Hongbin would find it. 

 

*******

 

Hongbin was in a foul mood and the first person that had noticed that had been his fellow student Wonshik. They both studied English literature, though Wonshik would’ve rather focused on music. Anyways, they attended the same classes and had become friends over the past two years. Usually, Hongbin never let anyone know that he was in a bad mood, besides Jaehwan who noticed it immediately. However today, he couldn’t stop himself from snapping at other people. Wonshik’s eyes had widened at Hongbin’s outburst and Hongbin had apologized for it immediately. Luckily, Wonshik was forgiving and didn’t mention it. Still, Hongbin felt ashamed for letting off his steam on Wonshik. It was his own fault that a demon was his roommate now. He could only blame himself. 

 

His lectures were over for the day, but he dreaded to go home, so he had spent most of his afternoon at the library. He had tried to find that stupid book for one hour until he had finally given up. After that, he had searched on ominous websites how to get rid of demons. Some suggested setting the demon on fire, but Hongbin didn’t want to burn his flat down. His insurance surely wouldn’t cover that. There was also the option to make the demon drink holy water or splash him with it. Every option sounded ridiculous to Hongbin and he was fairly certain that none of them would work. It would only end with Sanghyuk being soaked due to the holy water and Hongbin’s floor would be wet. He didn’t want to clean up that mess or hear Sanghyuk’s sarcastic comments afterward. Though his brain rather liked the idea of a soaked Sanghyuk. Hongbin’s cheeks burned with shame because he surely shouldn’t picture that. Never in all his life, he had been that fucked and he had set fire to his grandmother’s favorite armchair once. 

 

*******

 

Around seven PM, he finally decided to head home. There was no use in staying at the library any longer and avoiding his new roommate. Even that thought made him groan out loud and earned him some glances from other students, but he simply ignored them. He packed his bags and made his way home. During his time in the library, it had started to snow and he was lucky that it hadn’t piled up too high already. It was still fairly easy for him to walk home. He took one glance at the building before heading inside. It seemed unharmed, so no big fire. That soothed his nerves a bit. 

 

He entered his flat cautiously, ready to face pure chaos, but it looked just as it had yesterday. Nothing was disturbed and it was silent. Hongbin raised an eyebrow and closed the door behind him. He shook the slowly melting snowflakes from his head and took off his soaked shoes. Everything seemed normal, but Sanghyuk was nowhere to be seen. Secretly, Hongbin hoped that he had only imagined all of this and there were no demons or that at least the demon had left for good. He walked further into the flat and started to smell something. At first, he couldn’t identify it, but soon he realized that something smelled slightly burned and that the smell of food was all around him. He furrowed his eyebrows and walked into the living room that was directly connected to the kitchen. 

 

The next thing he saw was a humming Sanghyuk with an apron wrapped around his waist while he cleaned a pan. Hongbin had to blink several times to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating. A demon was standing in his kitchen and had apparently cooked dinner for him. 

 

“Um, what is going on here?” asked Hongbin after he had gotten over his shock. Sanghyuk turned around with the brightest smile on his face. It kind of scared Hongbin. 

 

“Oh, hello there roommate. Thought you might never come back home. I cooked dinner,” explained the demon happily and packed the pan away. Hongbin let his bag slip to the floor before took off his jacket. His eyes settled on the bowl that seemed to be full with fried rice and a fried egg on top. 

 

“Wha-, Wait a minute. You cooked dinner? With what ingredients? I basically have nothing at home.”

 

“It’s called grocery shopping, silly and you should be a bit more grateful!” said Sanghyuk and stemmed his hands on his hips. He even pouted a bit. Hongbin didn’t know if he should be annoyed, confused or charmed. 

 

“With what money did you buy said groceries?” inquired Hongbin, furrowing his eyebrows because he usually had no money at home. He always took it with him wherever he went. 

 

“You have to pay them?” Sanghyuk had an innocent look on his face and Hongbin seriously started to panic. 

 

“You fucking stole them?”

 

“I’m just kidding. Money is no problem for a demon, so don’t worry about it. How about you sit down and taste your dinner?” suggested Sanghyuk with a grin while Hongbin shot him a deadly glare. However, he sat down without further complaints and continued analyzing the bowl in front of him. The burning smell came from it. At least, the flat hadn’t burned down. 

 

“Why does it smell burned?”

 

“Might’ve been distracted during cooking.”

 

“Distracted by what?”

 

“My phone, obviously,” said Sanghyuk casually and Hongbin nearly choked on his own spit. 

 

“You have a phone?” asked Hongbin rather shocked while the demon rolled his eyes. 

 

“Who doesn’t?”

 

“You’re a demon!”

 

“And your point is?”

 

“Demons have phones?” 

 

“Of course. We need to communicate as well. Luckily, that’s one thing we copied from you humans. Especially, the memes,” sighed Sanghyuk, still smiling. Hongbin wanted to continually smash his head against the wall. 

 

“Oh, good grief.”

 

“Stop complaining and eat your food,” commanded Sanghyuk and walked towards the miserable tiny table that Hongbin called his dining table. 

 

“Are you my mom now or what?” hissed Hongbin as he sat down and started to pick at the food in the bowl. Sanghyuk took the other seat, well the only seat that was left and said cheerfully: “No, just your demonic roommate that cares about you.”

 

“Whatever,” murmured Hongbin, not acknowledging that Sanghyuk was indeed rather caring. It irritated Hongbin in more than just one way. First of all, he was only used to be pampered by his mother and Jaehwan. Second, he would’ve never expected that a demon might care about him. 

 

Hongbin didn’t complain any further and tasted the food. The egg was okay, but the rice tasted horribly. He tried hard not to grimace, but he also didn’t manage to show any kind of delight. Sanghyuk mustered him attentively and was there a glint of hope in those dark eyes? 

 

“And how is it?” exploded Sanghyuk, his curiosity getting the better of him. Hongbin nearly bit his own tongue because he had been surprised by that outburst. 

 

“Well..,” Hongbin’s hesitation was already an answer, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. He was a polite and friendly guy. Sanghyuk might be a demon, but he had made the effort to cook and Hongbin couldn’t destroy that. 

 

“It’s horrible, right?”

 

“I wouldn’t say horrible.”

 

“Aww, how sweet you’re trying not to hurt my feelings. You’re getting over that whole demon thing quite quickly,” said Sanghyuk and smiled fondly. Hongbin’s stomach seemed to tingle for just a second because that smile was really endearing. It made Sanghyuk look younger and more human. Hongbin nearly forgot that a demon was sitting next to him. 

 

“Maybe I’m afraid that you’ll devour my soul if I say anything bad about your food,” suggested Hongbin which only earned him a hearty laugh from the demon. 

 

“Oh come on, that’s a blatant lie. To be honest, it was my first time cooking, so I didn’t expect anything else,” shrugged Sanghyuk and took the bowl from Hongbin. 

 

“So I'm your guinea pig?”

 

“Are you mad?”

 

“I don’t know,” admitted Hongbin as leaned back into his seat. 

 

“Don’t worry! I'm prepared and ordered a pizza for you before you came home,” assured Sanghyuk. Hongbin was at the loss for words for a moment because that demon was really nice. A bit too nice maybe?

 

“That is very…thoughtful and kinda nice.”

 

“I’m a very nice guy,” stated Sanghyuk simply with a hint of arrogance in his voice which made Hongbin roll his eyes, but he had to smile a little. 

 

“For a demon?”

 

“No, in general. You’ll learn to love me.”

 

“I still highly doubt that.”

 

“Just believe me,” Sanghyuk winked and for once, Hongbin didn’t want to punch him, but rather had the urge to smile. Maybe he would get used to the demon. Well, he had to because their contract or whatever this was only ended when Hongbin died. Sanghyuk grinned before he snapped his fingers and the bowl disappeared. 

 

“Where did that go?” asked Hongbin rather interested because that was the first time he saw something of Sanghyuk’s powers. 

 

“To hell,” answered Sanghyuk coolly which made Hongbin furrow his eyebrows. 

 

“Just because it tasted bad?”

 

“No, I have a rather nice demon friend that could use some food.”

 

“You send your friend horrible food?”

 

“Told you I’m a nice guy,” grinned Sanghyuk and stood up from his seat. 

 

“Yeah you must really love him,” said Hongbin and stood up as well. He still had to grade some papers for his professor before tomorrow afternoon and he hadn’t even started yet. Basically the story of his life. 

 

“That’s what he gets for his constant nagging!” exclaimed Sanghyuk as he threw himself on the couch. Cooking must be awfully exhausting. Hongbin shook his head, took out the papers and settled himself on the padded windowsill, the only reason why he rented this flat in the first place. They stayed like this in comfortable silence before the pizza arrived. After he had eaten, he continued grading the papers while Sanghyuk did whatever he wanted to do. It didn’t feel unusual, but rather as if they had roomed for a lifetime already. Hongbin didn’t know if he should be worried about that or not. He simply ignored it and continued grading. 

 

*******

It was a late Saturday morning when Hongbin woke up and was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee. He followed the smell with a yawn and had completely forgotten to put on a shirt. The night had been warmer than usual and he had taken off his shirt in the middle of it. He had completely forgotten about his new roommate, only driven out of his room by the smell of coffee. He didn’t even question why there was the smell of coffee in the first place. Hongbin simply sat down at his dining table, in front of a filled mug of coffee and inhaled its wonderful smell before he took a sip. His brain started to wake up a bit and he mustered the coffee questioningly. A cough from behind made him turn around. Sanghyuk leaned against a wall, his blue hair still messy from sleeping and a lazy grin on his plump lips. 

 

“Didn’t even know that you had such a nice six-pack,” were the first word that left the demon’s mouth and he wiggled his eyebrows. Hongbin had always been shy about his body, never liked to show it off or expose it. Especially not to his new demon roommate. His cheeks started to heat up and he probably turned red like a tomato. Without another comment, he dashed from the room to get himself a shirt. For once, his witty mouth didn’t manage come up with a comeback. Sanghyuk only watched him in amusement, now sitting at the dining table. 

 

“Are you shy, Hongbin?” asked Sanghyuk rather amused when Hongbin came back into the kitchen, now covered with a black t-shirt. 

 

“Shut up,” murmured Hongbin as he sat down next to the demon and immediately started drinking his coffee again. He still wanted to hide under his covers until this incident was forgotten, but Sanghyuk would surely bring it up whenever it suited him. 

 

“Aww, that’s so cute.”

 

“I’m not cute.” Hongbin sounded like a child to his own ears and it only boosted his embarrassment. Sanghyuk laughed before replying playfully stern: “Yes you are, don’t you dare try to deny that!”

 

“Don’t you have better things to do than getting on my nerves? You know, demon business!” 

 

“Nope. Even demons have the weekend off,” announced Sanghyuk happily, but it only darkened Hongbin’s mood further. He still had to grade some papers and the demon surely would get on his nerves. 

 

“Lucky you,” muttered Hongbin with the mug against his lips. 

 

“Back to the six-pack.”

 

“Oh god, no,” groaned Hongbin. He had thought he had distracted the demon from the topic, but Sanghyuk wasn’t easily distracted. 

 

“Why hide it from me all week?” inquired Sanghyuk and tried to sound a bit disappointed, but he was mostly amused. Hongbin felt his eye twitch and the coffee surely wasn’t the reason for that. 

 

“Because it’s none of your business,” hissed Hongbin as an answer, hoping that the topic would die after this. 

 

“So selfish, keeping that beauty all to yourself.” Sanghyuk’s comment made his cheeks burn again. Talking about his six-pack was one thing, but being called beautiful a completely different thing. He had heard it from other people before, but it had never evoked pride inside of him. He was only embarrassed and felt kind of guilty. Also, it sounded spiteful most of the time, but Sanghyuk had sounded honest. It only made Hongbin’s cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. 

 

“Can you please stop talking?”

 

“Are you embarrassed?” asked Sanghyuk playfully, clearly enjoying Hongbin’s shyness. 

 

“Obviously!”

 

“There’s no need to. You should be proud. You’re one of the rare natural beauties I’ve seen in my lifetime,” confessed Sanghyuk and he sounded sincere. Hongbin didn’t really know what to say to this, plus he wondered how long Sanghyuk’s lifetime had already been. He was a demon after all. 

 

“And how old are you?”

 

“Oh, are we quoting twilight now?”

 

“I’m going to spill my coffee all over you,” warned Hongbin annoyed. That demon was really infuriating. He didn’t know how he should handle this for the rest of his life. 

 

“Don’t be like that.”

 

“Can you please just answer the question?”

 

“Only if you thank me for the coffee that I made for you out of pure generosity,” prompted Sanghyuk as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

 

“Yeah thank you. You’re truly the kindest demon I’ve ever met,” said Hongbin with the most sarcasm he could muster. 

 

“Be careful with that sarcasm,” warned Sanghyuk, his eyes narrowed and for the first time Hongbin felt a bit intimidated. For the first time, it felt as if he was really facing a demon. However, he didn’t relent. He felt challenged. 

 

“Or what?”

 

“Or I might bite your tongue,” answered Sanghyuk and it surely should sound like a threat, but other pictures started to enter Hongbin’s head. Inappropriate pictures that he tried to push back into a dark corner of his mind. It was too early to deal with this. 

 

“Thank you for the coffee!” Hongbin finally gave in, rolling his eyes, but still couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his voice. Still, Sanghyuk seemed more or less pleased with his answer because he was smiling again. 

 

“It would’ve been more convincing if you hadn’t rolled your eyes, but I accept it. I’m roughly forty million years old. I stopped counting a few decades ago,” answered Sanghyuk casually while Hongbin nearly choked on his coffee. 

 

“Forty million?”

 

“Still looking fine as ever, I know.”

 

Hongbin ignored that comment and instead asked: “How? I mean what did you do all those years?”

 

“Demon stuff? Are we doing twenty questions because there are a few things I want to know about you as well and if I open up you gotta do that too!”

 

“Ugh okay fine, but only five. I have other things to do today besides asking you questions,” agreed Hongbin more or less willingly. 

 

“Yeah yeah,” Sanghyuk waved his hand dismissively, not taking any offense by Hongbin’s answer. 

 

“Will you answer my question now or what?”

 

“I’m a generous man and won’t count this question you just asked.”

 

“That’s fair,” agreed Hongbin, which earned him an approving smile from Sanghyuk. 

 

“I know right. Okay, I do demon stuff. You know feed the world with anxiety. Those random thoughts that come up in the middle of the night when you try to fall asleep? All my work,” explained Sanghyuk and sounded rather proud of his work. Hongbin was about to take another sip from his coffee, but his hand froze midair thanks to Sanghyuk’s answer. That bastard was the reason for his random insecurity in the middle of the night? 

 

“Thank you for nothing then,” deadpanned Hongbin. 

 

“Hey I’m just doing my job,” defended Sanghyuk. 

 

“Horrible job.”

 

“It’s quite fun sometimes. Okay, my turn. What are you studying?”

 

“Really that’s the best question you can come up with,” Hongbin raised an eyebrow while he finally took a sip from his coffee. Sanghyuk stemmed his elbows on the tabletop and clasped his hands. 

 

“I’m interested in the little things, Hongbin.”

 

“I’m studying English literature and history, but I also take a course in creative writing,” answered Hongbin and tried hard not to roll his eyes. He knew that his subjects were lame, but Sanghyuk seemed to think otherwise. His face lit up at Hongbin’s answer and exclaimed: “Uh, a future author!”

 

“Nah my writing is too bad.”

 

“Let me be the judge of that.”

 

“Oh hell no.”

 

“Come on.”

 

“No,” was Hongbin’s final answer, but Sanghyuk started to pout. He felt himself waver for a short moment. That pout had nearly made his heart melt and he had been about to give in, but luckily the bitter coffee helped him to be rational. 

 

“Pouting won’t help you. Next question. Will you really stay with me until I die?”

 

“Still thinking that I’m not telling you the truth, huh? Yes, I’m bound to you by blood and that contract only ends when you die. Look on the bright side, at least you’ll never be alone.” Hearing the truth from Sanghyuk’s mouth was rather hard to digest and Hongbin had to gulp. He was stuck with that demon until his dying day. Somehow that thought made him sad but comforted him at the same time. 

 

“But forever single.”

 

“Don’t be so negative,” rebuked Sanghyuk lamely.

 

“Said the demon who controls fear and anxiety,” countered Hongbin and couldn’t help but smile slightly. 

 

“Yeah, I’m still brighter than you,” retorted Sanghyuk, also smiling. Hongbin felt that tingling feeling inside his stomach again and it had to die immediately. 

 

“I need more coffee,” muttered Hongbin and Sanghyuk was up on his feet in the blink of an eye. He grabbed Hongbin’s empty mug and said with a wink: “Your wish is my command.” It only amplified the tingling in Hongbin’s stomach, but he couldn’t bring himself to say or do anything to stop it. 

 

“So my turn again. Hmm. Sexual orientation?” asked Sanghyuk when he came back to the table and put the newly filled mug down in front of Hongbin. 

 

“Wow, that took a turn for the worse. Bisexual,” said Hongbin and grabbed his mug.

 

“Hmm interesting,” Sanghyuk scratched his chin and scrutinized Hongbin with his dark eyes. It made the latter rather uncomfortable. 

 

“Don’t even think about setting me up with somebody,” warned Hongbin because he hated blind dates more than anything else. Jaehwan had organized far too many for him in the past and they had never led to anything good. 

 

“That honestly didn’t even cross my mind.”

 

“It better not. Can you do anything else besides amplifying people’s anxiety?”

 

“I can shape-shift.”

 

“You’re not going to tell me into what unless I ask, right?” 

 

“Got it. What are your closest relationships?”

 

“Well, there’s my mother which I visit regularly and my grandmother. My best friend is Jaehwan and I’m friends with his boyfriend Taekwoon and then there’s Wonshik, my fellow student. I’m not really a social person,” admitted Hongbin. He was good at talking with other people and sometimes even approached them first, but he was the worst when it came to staying in contact with others, hence why he only had a few close friends. 

 

“You talk to me just fine,” opined Sanghyuk.

 

“You’re not a person and you leave me no other choice,” replied Hongbin dryly. 

 

“Point taken.”

 

“What can you shape.shift into?”

 

“A blue fox, but no, I’m not a kitsune,” clarified Sanghyuk immediately because he had seen the spark of interest in Hongbin’s eyes. However, the interest didn’t dim. Hongbin tried to imagine Sanghyuk as a blue fox, but couldn’t come up with a proper image. 

 

“Really into a fox? Can’t imagine that.”

 

“Maybe I’ll show you one day.”

 

“Insecure about that?” teased Hongbin. Maybe he had finally found something that he could hold against the demon, but Sanghyuk simply ignored his probing. 

 

“It’s not your turn yet. Are you interested in anyone sexually or romantically right now?”

 

“You’re really interested in my love life, it’s creepy.”

 

“Just trying to get to know you,” defended Sanghyuk innocently which only earned him an incredulous look from Hongbin. 

 

“Others would ask about my favorite color or meal, not about my love life.”

 

“Just answer the question, Hongbin,” sighed Sanghyuk, sounding annoyed for the first time during their whole week together. It was rather odd and honestly, Hongbin didn’t like it. It might be annoying that Sanghyuk was always in a good mood, but it also lifted Hongbin’s spirits. 

 

“No, I’m not,” answered Hongbin finally. 

 

“See wasn’t that hard.”

 

“Dick.”

 

“Watch your profanity.”

 

For a few seconds, the two just stared at each other. Hongbin with a disbelieving look on his face while Sanghyuk grinned from ear to ear. Had that demon really pulled a meme on him?

 

“Did you just?”

 

“Yup.” 

 

Sanghyuk’s grin just widened further, if that was even possible. Hongbin could only roll his eyes and sigh: “I can’t believe this.”

 

“I simply had to.”

 

“Yeah, whatever. Will your outer appearance stay the same or will you kind of grow old with me?”

 

“Such a sweet question,” teased Sanghyuk. He simply loved to piss Hongbin off. That would be some excruciating years with the demon. 

 

“Don’t even start,” warned Hongbin and Sanghyuk seemed to take it seriously for once. 

 

“It depends on what you want. If it freaks you out to never see my change then I’ll age with you.”

 

“I didn’t even know that demons care about the feelings of humans.”

 

“We don’t unless we’re bound to them.”

 

“Huh,” Hongbin couldn’t manage to say anything else because he was a bit shocked by that fact. He had expected that demons tormented their summoners and not defend or protect them. Sanghyuk cared about him and they just barely knew each other for a week. Sanghyuk seemed serious for the first time since they had met each other, but it didn’t last long because a smile started to spread on his lips again.

 

“Yeah. My last question. What do you want for dinner?”

 

“Seriously?” Hongbin nearly spat out his coffee which made Sanghyuk laugh lightly. 

 

“Just being polite.”

 

“I don’t even know. I have to go grocery shopping first,” said Hongbin and scratched the back of his head. Sanghyuk frowned shortly before replying: “You mean we have to go grocery shopping!”

 

“I’m not taking you with me,” stated Hongbin which made Sanghyuk pout. That stupid pout was so endearing, it made Hongbin’s heart swell. He didn’t like that at all. That pout would be his kryptonite. 

 

“Oh come on, Hongbin. It’ll be fun!” whined Sanghyuk. Hongbin cringed at that high whine and took a huge gulp from his coffee. 

 

“We must have different definitions when it comes to fun.”

 

“I’m not staying home all day and we haven’t spend proper time with each other yet!”

 

“We just had a long ass conversation.”

 

“You know exactly what I mean.”

 

“Ugh fine. I’ll have to get used to it sooner or later, right?” Hongbin gave in and conjured the biggest smile on Sanghyuk’s face. The demon was acting like a little child. It was annoying and cute at the same time. 

 

“Exactly!” 

 

“Great!” muttered Hongbin sarcastically, but Sanghyuk didn’t even notice it. 

 

“Woohoo!” exclaimed the demon and Hongbin thought that this was definitely the worst kind of torture. 


	3. PART THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new week, a new part. Thank you for your support and comments. They mean a lot to me and motivate me to keep writing ♥︎

**PART 3**

 

Hongbin had changed into some proper clothes and had hoped that the demon might forget about the grocery shopping, but when he came back into the living room Sanghyuk was already waiting for him. He had changed his clothes as well. Hongbin had summoned him over a week ago and the demon had changed from his suit to more comfortable and casually looking clothes quickly. Today, he was wearing deep blue jeans and a big red hoodie which made him look rather cute, but Hongbin would never admit that out loud. 

 

“Let’s get this over with,” mumbled Hongbin as he grabbed his house keys and money. Sanghyuk only smiled brightly and bounded after Hongbin. He was like an excited puppy, which was annoying and endearing at the same time. It was one of the rare mild winter days when Hongbin could go outside without a thick jacket and the grocery store was just around the corner, so he wouldn’t freeze his ass off. Sanghyuk walked beside him but was unusually quiet. He was too immersed in his surroundings. He even patted a dog on their way to the store. When Hongbin had seen the way that Sanghyuk had carefully petted the dog, even crouched down to ruffle him properly, his stomach had started to tingle again. He hated that feeling and also wasn’t used to it. He hadn’t felt like this in a long time, but he surely wouldn’t fall for a demon. This would never end well. 

 

When they had passed the dog they finally entered the grocery store, but Sanghyuk was still talking about the animal.

 

“You know we should get a dog!” announced Sanghyuk as Hongbin got them a cart. He looked at the demon bewildered. They barely knew each other for a week and he wanted to adopt a puppy already?

 

“And who’s going to pay for it?” asked Hongbin. 

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got you covered!” winked Sanghyuk and went ahead into the grocery store. Hongbin followed him quickly while saying: “We’re not adopting a dog. Why are we even talking about this?”

 

“Because we just patted a very cute dog and dogs are the best.”

 

“Fair point, but I’m not going to adopt a dog,” insisted Hongbin. He would love to own a dog, but he had no time or money for it. He didn’t want Sanghyuk to pay for it and who would take care of it while he was at university? This wasn’t a good idea. 

 

“Why not? I’m home all day and I could use a companion because you’re not the best one,” remarked Sanghyuk and Hongbin frowned at him while he grabbed a pack of coffee and threw it into the cart. 

 

“Should I be offended?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m not going to debate about this any further. No dog!” finalized Hongbin the discussion which earned him a big pout from his demonic roommate. He wouldn’t fall for that, so he averted his eyes and instead searched for his usual cereal. 

 

“You’re no fun, Hongbin,” whined Sanghyuk loudly and an old lady turned around to watch them. Hongbin tried hard not to blush but felt his ears turn hot. 

 

“Whatever,” mumbled Hongbin and continued with the grocery shopping. Sanghyuk didn’t pout for too long and instead started babbling again. It seemed as if the demon constantly had to say something. Hongbin threw some instant noodles into the cart and saw from the corner of his eyes how Sanghyuk began to shake his head disapprovingly. 

 

“You should really eat healthier,” commented the demon and was about to pack the noodles back on the shelf. Hongbin stopped him with a deadly stare. 

 

“Why do you care so much about my health?” inquired Hongbin, a bit annoyed by his caring roommate. He was even worse than Jaehwan at times. 

 

“I’m just being a good roommate!”

 

“Some roommates don’t even talk to each other and you act as if you’re my mother,” stated Hongbin and pushed their cart towards the checkout.

 

“Do you always push those away that care about you, Hongbin?” asked Sanghyuk dramatically whereupon Hongbin rolled his eyes. 

 

“Are you a psychologist now or what?”

 

“Still just a caring roommate.”

 

“I would eat less instant food if my cooking skills weren’t horrible.”

 

“I’m cooking for you!” exclaimed Sanghyuk indignantly and started placing their groceries on the conveyor belt. Hongbin started to help as well. It felt as if they had done this a thousand times before. It was a bit eerie how they got along this easily beside their constant banter. 

 

“Yeah and every dinner has tasted horrible so far!” stated Hongbin dryly and Sanghyuk immediately defended himself: “Hey, I’m just a beginner and I’m getting better. Soon, you’ll only eat the best food made by me!”

 

“I highly doubt that,” said Hongbin and passed the cashier who already started billing their stuff. 

 

“You’ll see!” retorted Sanghyuk as he passed Hongbin to get their groceries back into the cart. Hongbin only rolled his eyes before he heard the cashier chuckle. 

 

“You’re a really cute couple. You sound like an old married couple!” stated the cashier with a fond smile. Sanghyuk smirked at Hongbin who turned bright red and wanted to curl up and die on the spot. 

 

“Ah we’re not a couple,” declared Hongbin, but Sanghyuk wasn’t going to support him. Instead, the demon shrieked scandalized: “Stop denying our love, Hongbin!”

 

Hongbin face-palmed while the cashier started to laugh and cashed them up. 

 

“Would you just shut up for once,” hissed Hongbin under his breath, but Sanghyuk’s smirk only widened. 

 

“Whatever you want, baby,” whispered Sanghyuk, but it was still loud enough so that the cashier would hear it. Hongbin’s face felt as if it was ablaze and he wanted to flee from the store, but he still had to pay. 

 

“I’m going to kill you!” stated Hongbin as they finally left the grocery store. He was so abashed, he only wanted to hide under his covers at home. Sanghyuk, on the other hand, looked as if he had the time of his life. If his life was going to be like this until he died then he would seriously consider jumping of a bridge. 

 

*******

 

Two weeks passed in the same fashion. Hongbin went to university from Monday to Friday and tasted Sanghyuk’s self-made dinner every evening. On Saturdays, they went grocery shopping together and it was just Hongbin’s dumb luck that they always had the same cashier and Sanghyuk loved to tease him about the whole couple thing. On Sundays when Hongbin was done with all his university work, they either binge-watched a series or constantly played games. It was far easier to have a demon as a roommate as Hongbin would’ve thought. Sure, Sanghyuk and he bantered constantly and dinner always tasted horrible, but they got along just fine. Sometimes, Hongbin still felt his stomach tingle whenever Sanghyuk looked especially handsome, made a bad joke or smiled his cute smile. He ignored that feeling most the time because he didn’t want to think about it. As long as they weren't awkward with each other, everything would be just fine. 

 

*******

 

Christmas was coming closer and Hongbin was meeting Jaehwan for the first time in two weeks. He had seriously missed his best friend. They had texted of course, but Hongbin hadn’t told him about the whole demon business yet. It wouldn’t be wise to tell Jaehwan over a text that he had summoned a demon that he was bound to until he died and that was now his permanent roommate. Wouldn’t be a good idea at all. However, Hongbin was very nervous to tell Jaehwan about it in the first place. Maybe he should just say that he has a new roommate and come up with an excuse, like that the rent was too expensive to pay all by himself, but he would feel bad for lying to Jaehwan. He had never lied to his best friend and he wouldn’t start now. It was debatable if Jaehwan would even believe him. 

 

He was still sitting on his couch, thinking about how he would explain everything properly to his best friend and stirred his coffee. Sanghyuk was lounging on the other end of the couch with a laptop balanced on his lap. Hongbin didn’t even know where Sanghyuk had pulled that laptop from, but he had stopped asking too many questions. Sanghyuk wouldn’t answer them properly anyway. 

 

“Stop thinking so hard or your head will start fuming,” commented Sanghyuk, not looking up from his display, but Hongbin saw that there was a smile on his lips. It made him want to punch the demon. 

 

“Funny.”

 

“Wow someone is in a bad mood,” noted Sanghyuk and closed his laptop. Great, now Hongbin had his roommate’s full attention, not what he had planned. 

 

“I’m not in a bad mood, I’m just nervous. Jaehwan will think that I'm crazy,” admitted Hongbin, even though he wasn’t in the mood to talk with this about with Sanghyuk. 

 

“He’s your best friend, he will understand.”

 

“Easy for you to say.”

 

“Should I come with you and give him some proof,” suggested Sanghyuk, but Hongbin only shook his head: “No! You can meet each other later. I just need to talk with him alone first.”

 

“It feels as if I’m your boyfriend that is about to be introduced to your family,” grinned the demon and Hongbin kicked him. 

 

“Jaehwan might be like family to me, but you’re not my boyfriend!” corrected Hongbin. Sanghyuk’s smile turned into a smirk and he changed his position on the couch so that he was sitting closer to Hongbin. The minimized distance between them made Hongbin far more nervous than he liked. 

 

"I could be,” said Sanghyuk and wiggled his eyebrows. He was too close to Hongbin and his body reacted immediately. His ears started to feel hot while his stomach contracted in the most delicious way. Stop it, thought Hongbin desperately and pushed Sanghyuk’s grinning face away. 

 

“Stop flirting with me!”

 

“But it’s distracting you, isn’t it?”

 

“Bastard,” hissed Hongbin, hating to agree with Sanghyuk because it would only boost the demon’s ego. 

 

“Love you too. Also, you should probably go or you’ll be late,” stated Sanghyuk as he looked at their clock. Hongbin followed his gaze and his body turned into panic mode. He hated being late more than anything else. His cup nearly flew out of his hand because he stood up so hastily, but he didn’t spill anything. 

 

“Shit, you’re right for once. See you later and don’t make fried rice for dinner again.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’m in the mood for some nice pasta! Good luck with your talk!” yelled Sanghyuk after him as he was nearly out of the door. Hongbin couldn’t help himself but smile fondly. He was glad that the demon hadn’t seen that or else he would tease Hongbin about it for the rest of his life, quite literally. 

 

*******

 

Hongbin managed to arrive on time, unlike his best friend. Luckily, he was used to that by now and ordered their favorite drinks at the coffee shop before searching for a nice, but secluded place to talk. Jaehwan liked to be in the middle of everything, but they couldn’t talk about this when too many people were around. 

 

It had snowed the past few days, so it was harder to walk through the streets, but it also heightened the Christmas spirit. If it hadn’t been for the upcoming holidays, then Hongbin would’ve avoided this talk for a bit longer. However, he was invited to Jaehwan’s and Taekwoon’s place for the Christmas Days and he didn’t want to leave Sanghyuk all alone at home. The demon had only rolled his eyes at the mention of Christmas but had already decorated their whole flat. Sanghyuk had explained that he didn’t celebrate Christmas but still liked it anyway. Clearly not what Hongbin had expected, but Sanghyuk managed to surprise him every day. Hongbin wanted Sanghyuk to join their celebrations because he would feel bad otherwise, but first Jaehwan would have to meet the demon and Hongbin wanted to get a few facts out of the way at first. 

 

Hongbin looked up from his coffee when he heard a loud sigh that he easily identified as Jaehwan’s. Apparently, it had started to snow again because Jaehwan shook some flakes from his hair. 

 

“I love Christmas, but I hate snow,” declared Jaehwan as he took off his jacket and sat down in the chair opposite to Hongbin. 

 

“You say that every year,” stated Hongbin with a smile whereupon Jaehwan rolled his eyes. 

 

“Because it’s the same every year, dummy.”

 

“Good to see you too, Jaehwan.”

 

“I guess the time apart was excruciating to you.”

 

“Of course, I thought about you day and night.”

 

“I see that your sarcasm is as present as ever,” detected Jaehwan with a smile. They had missed each other, but they could never say it out loud. It was simply easier to tease each other. 

 

“Did you expect anything else?”

 

“Not really. Oh, you already ordered for me. You do have a heart Beanie,” exclaimed Jaehwan and Hongbin rose an eyebrow. 

 

“What else should pump the blood through my veins?”

 

“I always assumed it was some kind of black hole.”

 

“That doesn’t even make sense,” declared Hongbin, but as usual his best friend didn’t care. 

 

“It does to me,” replied Jaehwan and took a sip from his drink. Hongbin shook his head with a smile on his lips. It was easy to talk to Jaehwan. They were never awkward with each other, still, Hongbin was nervous to approach the subject. Jaehwan mustered him, he probably knew that Hongbin wanted to talk about something. Jaehwan always knew when something was wrong with Hongbin. Luckily, Hongbin didn’t need to find the right words to start this talk because Jaehwan took it into his hands. 

 

“So when were you going to tell me about your new roommate?”


	4. PART FOUR

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** Uploading a bit later than usual because I had a lot to do for university. I'm glad that you like the story so far ♥︎

**PART 4**

 

Hongbin nearly choked on his coffee while Jaehwan looked at him expectantly. He had thought that Jaehwan might ask if something is wrong, but not this. How did Jaehwan even know that Hongbin had a new roommate in the first place? He definitely hadn’t mentioned it before. 

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, Taekwoon saw you with a dude coming out of a grocery store. He assumed that it was your new boyfriend, but I know you would’ve told me about dates etc., so I simply presumed that you had a new roommate,” explained Jaehwan lightly. He didn’t even seem pissed off which he was usually whenever Hongbin didn’t tell him something immediately. 

 

“Well yes, he is my new roommate,” drawled Hongbin and focused his eyes on his coffee mug. 

 

“Is he nice? What’s his name? Is he a student? How do you even know him? You’re too antisocial to just go out and meet a new roommate!” shot Jaehwan, his curiosity getting the better of him. 

 

“Wow wow, hold up. Let me just. It’s a complicated story and I really need you to hear me out.”

 

“Is he a criminal?”

 

“No! Jaehwan just let me explain, okay?” pleaded Hongbin. He was so frustrated already because this whole conversation was doomed from the start. 

 

“I’m all ears!”

 

“Do you remember that time we were in the library a few weeks ago and this hit the back of my head?”

 

“The old big one?”

 

“Exactly. I wanted to give it to the librarians, but instead, I took it home with me,” admitted Hongbin. He still felt ashamed for simply taking that book with and now it was gone. 

 

“And it was his book, so that’s how you met!” assumed Jaehwan, proud of his wannabe detective skills. Hongbin simply rolled his eyes before he said: “No, not exactly. Ugh. Just let me talk okay.”

 

“Fine,” murmured the older one and took a sip of his drink. 

 

“Okay, so I took this book home with me. When I couldn’t fall asleep I decided to read it and it turns about that it was about demons and how you can summon them.”

 

“Oh dear.”

 

“I was sleep deprived and for once didn’t overthink my decision, so I decided to try it out.”

 

“You decided to summon a demon in the middle of the night? Without me? I’m scandalized!” 

 

“Really that’s the only thing that bothers you? That I didn’t call you up to summon a demon?” questioned Hongbin, his eyes narrowed. Only Jaehwan would be offended because he wasn’t part of a demon summoning.

 

“We’re best friends! We do everything together!” insisted Jaehwan with a pout whereupon Hongbin ruffled his hair in frustration. 

 

“Oh god.”

 

“You shouldn’t put the lord’s name in your mouth, mister!”

 

“Should I continue or do you want to reprimand me some more?”

 

“Nah, I think I’m done for now.”

 

“Okay. I did all that summoning shit and nothing happened, so I thought it was just a stupid joke. I wanted to go to bed when this blue fire started burning. I’m still glad that nothing happened to the floorboards. Anyways, this figure starts to emerge from the fire and I’m facing a demon. Turns out that the whole shit worked and that I’m now bound to a demon until I die,” finished Hongbin. He had watched how Jaehwan’s facial expression had become more and more confused. 

 

“Woah wait, don’t jump like that! Why are you bound to that so-called demon and why should I believe a word you say?”

 

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me. I’m bound to the demon because I sacrificed a drop of my blood as it had said in the instructions and it kind of works that way. I didn’t question it too much,” explained Hongbin sheepishly. Usually, he would scrutinize a problem until he found a way to solve it, but he had simply accepted Sanghyuk’s words. Why should the demon lie to him? 

 

“So you simply accepted that you’re bound to a demon forever?”

 

“Apparently.”

 

“Where’s the hidden camera?” 

 

“What? This isn’t a joke Jaehwan!”

 

“Well, then I’ll need some proof,” demanded Jaehwan. Hongbin had guessed that Jaehwan wouldn’t believe him right away. He had to introduce him to Sanghyuk earlier than he wanted. 

 

“Ugh fine. I’ll introduce you to the demon and maybe then you’ll believe me,” surrendered Hongbin and stood up. Jaehwan did the same and they put on their coats. 

 

“We’ll see. Lead the way!” said Jaehwan. Hongbin shook his head and walked past his friend towards the exit. His stomach was in knots because he feared that he might lose his best friend thanks to all of this. With a bad feeling in his gut, he walked into the falling snow outside. 

 

*******

 

 

The walk to his flat had been awkwardly quiet. There was a tension between him and Jaehwan that had never been there before. Usually, the friends would joke all the way and could be heard from miles away, but today they were deadly quiet. The conversation still hung between them and Hongbin hoped that Sanghyuk would be helpful and convincing for once. 

 

When they entered the flat they were greeted with the smell of boiling salt water. Sanghyuk had already started to prepare dinner, but Hongbin didn’t feel hungry whatsoever. There was a huge knot in his stomach that needed to be eased first. Jaehwan rose an eyebrow and Hongbin answered: “He cooks dinner every night, but it never turns out to be edible, so don’t get your hopes up!”

 

They walked into the kitchen where Sanghyuk was dancing to a random song on the radio and Hongbin really wanted to facepalm but he was far too tense to be embarrassed. The demon sang a high note very off key which made Jaehwan cringe. Sanghyuk turned around and faced the newcomers. Surprise was on his face and there might have been a tiny blush, but Hongbin could’ve been wrong. 

 

“You’re already back home and brought a guest. You could’ve told me beforehand so that I could’ve made more pasta!” exclaimed Sanghyuk, covering his initial embarrassment. He wiped his hands on his black apron and stalked towards Jaehwan who mustered the demon critically. 

 

“You could’ve told me that your new roommate is hot!” said Jaehwan plainly and Hongbin nearly choked on his own spit while Sanghyuk smiled rather sheepishly. Hongbin’s stomach contorted in the weirdest way, a mix of attraction for the demon and maybe jealousy. He wasn’t going to acknowledge either of these emotions. 

 

“What?”

 

“Thank you for the compliment stranger!”

 

“I didn’t even well realize that he’s hot,” tried Hongbin to explain but his roommate threw a lazy grin his way which made it hard not to stutter. 

 

“Stop lying to yourself, Hongbin. I see the way you look at me,” the demon winked at him and Hongbin felt his ears turn hot. This was definitely not going as he had planned. He hid his face behind his palms and mumbled: “Oh good grief.”

 

“Ah he’s a flirty one, just what you need, Beanie!” stated Jaehwan cheerily. Hongbin had never wanted to hit his best friend this hard in his life and Jaehwan had said and done a lot of shit. 

 

“Beanie?” inquired Sanghyuk interested and Hongbin’s stomach dropped, dread filling it. Oh no, Jaehwan had just given the devil something to feed on. That pet name would follow Hongbin for eternity. 

 

“Don’t you ever dare call me that!” hissed Hongbin which made Sanghyuk smile widely. This stupid shit eating grin. 

 

“I’ll never call you anything else again unless you want me to call you babe again,” said Sanghyuk and stepped closer to Hongbin. His height definitely didn’t intimidate Hongbin. Nope, not at all. 

 

“Again?” asked Jaehwan bewildered and his eyes switched between Hongbin and Sanghyuk. 

 

“I’ll explain later. Let me introduce you first. Sanghyuk, this is my best friend Jaehwan. Jaehwan, meet my demon roommate!” 

 

Sanghyuk and Jaehwan shook hands, both nodding politely at each other before Sanghyuk said with a grin: “What up!”

 

“Don’t do this.”

 

“What?”

 

“Say ‘what up’, it sounds ridiculous,” explained Hongbin rather annoyed with his roommate who thought that he was the hippest creature on earth. 

 

“You find it endearing, don’t you?”

 

“Ugh, no!” denied Hongbin too quickly. 

 

“Yeah, you definitely do!” grinned Sanghyuk and elbowed Hongbin slightly who scowled. 

 

“You sound like an old married couple,” noted Jaehwan with a smile. He mustered them with interest and Hongbin could literally hear the wheels in Jaehwan’s head turn. This was never a good sign. His best friend was planing something and it would only lead to misery, at least for Hongbin. 

 

“Aww, see everybody thinks that,” said Sanghyuk with excitement whereupon Hongbin could only roll his eyes. He was so done with this whole conversation. 

 

“That is not something you should be proud of!”

 

“So is it true that you’re a demon? Hongbin told me the wildest story about summoning you and some shit,” intervened Jaehwan, trying to bring them back to their original reason for coming here. For once, Hongbin was thankful for Jaehwan’s natural curiosity because it ended the banter between him and Sanghyuk. 

 

“Well, if Hongbin says it’s true then it has to be, right?” shrugged Sanghyuk, as if the debate settled with those words. 

 

“You’re not helping,” sighed Hongbin weary. 

 

“Oh, I was supposed to help? You’ll owe me one, Beanie.”

 

“Don’t call me Beanie and I owe you nothing.”

 

“Yes you do and I’ll think about something.”

 

“Um, back to the point?” suggested Jaehwan who was starting to lose his patience. Even Jaehwan could only take so much of waiting and watching their banter. 

 

“Oh yeah, right. Yes, I am a demon.”

 

“I want some solid proof!”

 

“Hmm. More solid than me isn’t possible,” said Sanghyuk. Hongbin really wanted to punch his roommate but instead, he heaved an angry sigh and rolled his eyes. Sanghyuk lifted one eyebrow as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

 

“No, show him some of your powers or something like that,” explained Hongbin whereupon Sanghyuk furrowed his eyebrows and stated: “I can’t use my powers properly around you.”

 

“Why? Are you shy now or what?”

 

“We both know that I’m not shy. No, I can’t use them around my summoner because they might hurt you blah blah blah. It would violate the contract. Remember, I’m not allowed to use my power on you,” explained Sanghyuk matter-of-factly. However, Hongbin still felt a bit taken back and couldn’t help the slight flush that covered his cheeks. His eyes were completely focused on Sanghyuk who didn’t meet his stare and seemed nervous as well. 

 

“That is…rather considerate,” breathed Hongbin and Sanghyuk blushed for real this time. 

 

“We’re not always the bad guys,” muttered the demon and Hongbin felt as if the ground was swept from under his feet. He shouldn’t feel like this for his demon roommate. 

 

“Sorry to interrupt your moment but if this is a joke Hongbin then I’ll be pissed off,” interfered Jaehwan sounding a bit annoyed but gleeful as well. It was a weird mix and Hongbin had never seen his best friend’s facial expression so conflicted. There was a frown on his face but his lips wanted to smile. 

 

“It’s not a joke. Just do something, Sanghyuk.”

 

“Okay fine. I can at least use my fire,” indulged Sanghyuk and uncrossed his arms. 

 

“The blue one?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Don’t wink at me!”

 

“You love it!”

 

“Whatever.”

 

Sanghyuk grinned widely at Hongbin who flipped him the bird, still with his cheeks slightly flushed. Jaehwan watched them with one raised eyebrow while tapping his foot impatiently. Sanghyuk broke their way too long eye contact and focused on Jaehwan. He showed his open palms and seemed to focus whatever energy he possessed into them. Hongbin watched them impatiently as well as his best friend. It started with a light flick of blue light in Sanghyuk’s left palm that jumped to the right palm quickly. A few seconds later, Hongbin felt how the room temperature started to drop and blue flames started to cover Sanghyuk’s hands. Jaehwan’s eyes widened in wonder as he beheld the supernatural flames. 

 

“Can I touch them?” asked Jaehwan, not able to force his eyes away from the fascinating flames. Even Hongbin was entranced by them, even though he had seen them before. 

 

“Wouldn’t recommend that because you might freeze your whole hand.”

 

“Is it that cold?”

 

“Yup!”

 

The flames vanished and the temperature around them rose to a comfortable degree again. Sanghyuk clapped his hands a bit to warm them up again. Hongbin ignored the urge to encompass them into his own warm hands to heat them up. Instead, he focused on his best friend again who mustered Sanghyuk still critically and asked: “Do you believe me, now?”

 

“Still not sure about the demon part, but your roommate definitely isn’t quite human,” admitted Jaehwan as he scratched his chin. He knew that he was looking ridiculous but Hongbin didn’t comment on it for once. 

 

“I’m not human whatsoever.”

 

“Anyway, I do believe you, Beanie. It’s a lot to take in but as long as Sanghyuk is good to you, I’m not going to try an exorcism,” answered Jaehwan finally and smiled brightly at his best friend. That took a weight off his chest. This had been the first critical moment in all their years where Hongbin had questioned if they would stay friends. Luckily, everything was fine now. 

 

“That wouldn’t work anyway because Hongbin’s blood binds me to this world,” indicated Sanghyuk whereupon Jaehwan blinked confusedly at him. 

 

“So I would have to kill Hongbin to get rid of you?” enquired Jaehwan, just to be sure. 

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Are you planning murder me, Lee Jaehwan?” asked Hongbin, half joking and half serious. 

 

“Nah, I wouldn’t dare to. Just checking some facts. Oh, I can’t wait to tell Taekwoon, he loves such stories!”

 

“He would believe it?” wondered Hongbin with raised eyebrows. Taekwoon was probably the most down to earth human Hongbin had ever met or at least that’s how he always came across. He could’ve been wrong all this time. 

 

“Taekwoon believes that aliens walk on this earth, so a demon wouldn’t shock him. By the way, your lovely roommate can join us for Christmas,” explained Jaehwan, rolling his eyes shortly before smiling at Hongbin and Sanghyuk. 

 

“That was the plan,” muttered Hongbin, hoping that Sanghyuk hadn’t heard him but as usual luck wasn’t on his side. The demon perked up immediately. 

 

“Woah, wait! You did all of this so that we could spend Christmas at your friend’s place?”

 

“I would’ve celebrated with them one way or another but I didn’t want you to be alone on Christmas,” admitted Hongbin, noticing how his ears started to feel hot again. He avoided looking at Sanghyuk who was probably smiling like an idiot. 

 

“That is so sweet, Beanie. My heart is melting. You do care about me,” sighed Sanghyuk and threw an arm around Hongbin’s shoulder, pulling him close to his side. Hongbin’s face felt as if it was ablaze. 

 

“Oh shut up. You don’t even have a heart.”

 

“Come on, just admit that you like me.”

 

“Don’t you have to check the pasta?”

 

“Oh fuck,” said Sanghyuk and ran to the stove quickly. The pasta turned out to taste horrible, so they had to order something as usual. At least the atmosphere was a lot lighter now and Sanghyuk and Jaehwan seemed to get along just fine. Hongbin was relieved but also worried because there was definitely some trouble for him ahead when these two got along too good. 

 

When Jaehwan left after a good dinner, he pulled Hongbin into a hug. Hongbin usually wasn’t a big hugger but he returned it because this was Jaehwan and they had a troublesome day. Jaehwan squeezed him tight and Hongbin could’ve sworn that he heard Jaehwan sniffle but the older one always denied it. They were about to pull apart when Jaehwan whispered into his ear: “You should definitely tap that demon ass!” 

 

The older one winked at him before he walked down the stars. Hongbin blinked at the spot where his best friend had been standing a few seconds ago and felt himself blush for the hundred time that day. He would never blush this often again. Jaehwan was crazy. Really crazy. 


	5. PART FIVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really long but it's probably my favorite one for now. I know that it's way too early to write about Christmas but I didn't want to wait until December to actually post this chapter. So here you go!   
> **Also on another note:** The food is super americanized in here (especially the Christmas dinner). Please forgive me for not doing some proper research. 
> 
> P.S.: I might be working on a longer fanfiction but I'm not sure yet (and of course it's going to be hyukbin!)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter ♥︎

 

**PART 5**

 

 

Christmas was coming their way and it was coming fast. Hongbin was drowning in work and worked his ass off for his professor to get a Christmas bonus. He didn’t really need the money desperately but this year’s presents had made a big dent in his wallet which he wanted to fill before the end of the year. He had only two days left and then he would be free from university for at least two weeks. Sure, he still had to write essays but he would finally have some time to breathe. 

 

Sanghyuk wasn’t helpful when it came to Hongbin’s work but at least he didn’t bother him too often and his cooking skills started to improve as well. At least, his pasta was edible now. Other than that, the demon still constantly bantered with him and sometimes Hongbin had to agree with Jaehwan. They really were like an old married couple. It wasn’t just the banter but also how they were already so used to each other. They didn’t need words to communicate, everything was easy. Hongbin had never had such a friendship before. Something so easy and without words. Sanghyuk knew when he was allowed to annoy Hongbin and when it wasn’t exactly the right time. They spend their days talking about the newest series they had started or a game that they currently played. Of course, there was also silence between them but it wasn’t awkward but pleasant. Sanghyuk would rest his legs on Hongbin’s lap who used those as a bookend. He always tried not to think too hard about how close they had become over the weeks. It would only cause his stomach to tingle and his heart would swell. He wasn’t going to acknowledge those reactions. He simply tried to live his life with his demonic roommate. 

 

A few weeks ago, Sanghyuk had really tried to challenge Hongbin’s patience. Sanghyuk had decided to surprise him and he had simply been lucky that the surprise had been rather cute or else he would’ve slept on the streets. Hongbin wasn’t big on surprises, especially if they caused a lot of changes in his carefully crafted plans. 

 

***

_Two weeks ago_

 

_It was one of the rare days when Hongbin made it home and the sun was still in the sky. Usually, he came home way too late, past dinner time which earned him a playful scolding from Sanghyuk once in a while. However, today he had managed to free himself from his professor and papers that he needed to grade. He had to focus on another university project but it wasn’t due until next week, so he could use the afternoon to relax. If Sanghyuk would let him relax._

 

_Hongbin opened the door to his flat with a relieved sigh and slipped out of his soaked shoes. Snow had been piling up on the streets again and wet feet were normal by now. His jacket and bag found their way to the floor as well. He was too exhausted and lazy to put them in their proper places and instead walked into the living room. It was uncommonly quiet. Usually, the TV would run or music was coming from his speakers because Sanghyuk seemed to hate silence unless he was with Hongbin. The latter furrowed his eyebrows because whenever something was out of the ordinary, Sanghyuk had done something really stupid and Hongbin would have to take care of it._

 

_The next thing he saw would be branded into his head forever. However, not because it was horrible or something along the lines. No quite the opposite, it was the cutest thing he had ever seen. Sanghyuk was sitting on the floor, wearing a big red hoodie and something black was laying in his lap. That black thing had been sleeping a few seconds ago but as it had noticed Hongbin, it came bounding towards him. It wagged its tail in delight and yelped cheerily. Hongbin was frozen in shock for a second and his eyes switched between Sanghyuk and the black thing which was a freaking puppy._

 

_“What the actual fuck?” asked Hongbin, pausing dramatically after every word. Sanghyuk smiled sheepishly and ruffled his dark blue hair. Hongbin was too angry for this cute shit. He wouldn’t fall for that or maybe he was but he was still angry nonetheless._

 

_Once his limbs were able to move again, he crouched down and started to pet the happy puppy. It was a Labrador even Hongbin’s clueless brain knew that. The puppy started climbing on his lap and licked his palm softly once. He couldn’t help the smile that spread on his face. He might be angry at Sanghyuk for buying a puppy without asking him but he couldn’t be angry at the puppy. It was simply too adorable._

 

_“Surprise?” said Sanghyuk innocently which earned him a dark look from Hongbin. Even the cute puppy that rested in his lap couldn’t stop him from being angry at his roommate._

 

_“I told you before I don’t have time or money for a puppy.”_

 

_“Well but I have money and time and you’ll manage to find time to take a walk with her once in a while,” replied Sanghyuk as he scooted closer to Hongbin and the puppy. The demon was lucky the puppy was sleeping or else Hongbin would’ve jumped up by now and they would have a full-blown discussion about this._

 

_“It’s a girl? Does she have a name yet?”_

 

_“I like pumpkin.”_

 

_“Seriously, you couldn’t come up with anything better?” Hongbin rolled his eyes at Sanghyuk but he actually liked the name. He wouldn’t admit it out loud because than Sanghyuk would win._

 

_“Hey, it’s a cute name!”_

 

_“Back to business. Why did you think it was okay to buy a puppy without asking me first?”_

 

_“That’s the thing about surprises, you don’t know about them,” deadpanned Sanghyuk which earned him a hit from Hongbin. The demon simply grinned while Hongbin tried to stare him down._

 

_“Sanghyuk,” hissed Hongbin, annoyance audible in his voice but as usual his roommate didn’t take him seriously._

 

_“Hongbin.”_

 

_“I’m fucking serious! You could’ve at least asked me. I don’t even know if dogs are allowed in this apartment.”_

 

_“Don’t worry about that I talked to your landlord and he says it’s okay.”_

 

_“You talked to my landlord?”_

 

_“Yup.”_

 

_“And he didn’t even ask why you’re living here?”_

 

_“He thinks I'm your boyfriend,” answered Sanghyuk naturally as he stroked the dog’s ears. Hongbin wanted to strangle the demon._

 

_“So you lied to him?”_

 

_“He assumed it and I didn’t deny it.”_

 

_“So you lied,” sighed Hongbin._

 

_“Oh come on, everybody thinks we’re a couple anyway.”_

 

_“But we’re not! And thanks to this adorable dog everybody on the street will think that we’re a couple. Two guys don’t simply adopt a puppy together,” explained Hongbin but Sanghyuk didn’t seem to notice how serious this was to Hongbin._

 

_“We would make a hot couple,” grinned the demon and Hongbin felt a shiver run down his spine but this wasn’t the time to think about his attraction towards the demon._

 

_“I hate you so much!”_

 

_“Just look at Pumpkin. Isn’t she the cutest puppy you have ever seen? Don’t make me give her away,” pouted Sanghyuk as he held the puppy in front of Hongbin’s face. Pumpkin licked his nose and Hongbin’s heart melted. He would never let this puppy go again but he was still angry._

 

_“I’m not saying that we give her away-“_

 

_“So we keep her?”_

 

_“Well yes-“_

 

_“Good then we don’t need to have this discussion anymore and play with the dog instead!” announced Sanghyuk and a pulled a blue rubber bone from the pocket of his hoodie. He immediately had Pumpkin’s attention who wagged her tail in anticipation._

 

_“Sanghyuk! Who’ll take care of her and who’ll pay for all the food?” hissed Hongbin who still wasn’t done with this topic. Sanghyuk only rolled his eyes and said: “I already told you that I have too much time to spare and that money won’t be a problem. There’s not one issue that you can come up with. Just accept that we have a cute dog!”_

 

_“I’m not simply going to accept that you went behind my back to buy a dog!”_

 

_“Do you listen to yourself? It’s a dog, not a bomb! I thought she would cheer you up and distract you from all the work. You would need to go outside with her and get some much-needed air. She’s supposed to help you relax!” explained Sanghyuk and sounded serious for once. Hongbin couldn’t come up with a comeback. His mouth opened and closed which probably looked ridiculous. He hadn’t even thought that Sanghyuk might have bought the dog for him as well. Sometimes the demon was far more caring than Hongbin was able to comprehend._

 

_“Oh wow! Mr. Witty Mouth doesn’t have a comeback for once,” snarked Sanghyuk and as soon as the words had left his mouth, Hongbin had to bite his lip or he would’ve burst out in laughter. That was probably the most ridiculous sentence Sanghyuk had ever said to him._

 

_“Did you just call me Mr. Witty Mouth?” snorted Hongbin and even Sanghyuk had to hold back his laughter._

 

_“Apparently.”_

 

_They both started laughing and Hongbin’s anger vanished in a second. They had a puppy now and Hongbin wouldn’t fight it. No, pumpkin had conquered his heart in seconds and in the end he was actually glad that Sanghyuk had got them a puppy. It would cause some trouble that’s for sure but she would give them a lot of laughs and great memories as well._

 

***

 

Pumpkin was lying next to him on the old sofa as he tried to finish an essay. He only had to squeeze ten more words out of his head. Sanghyuk was out to grab them some dinner and Pumpkin had wanted to go with him so badly but now she was stuck with Hongbin. She loved Hongbin, so it wasn’t a problem but she clearly liked Sanghyuk a bit more. Also, she only really listened to his commands because he trained her daily. Hongbin only had time to do that occasionally, so Pumpkin liked to do whatever she wanted. As long as she didn’t run away or attacked someone, everything was fine. 

 

Hongbin scratched Pumpkin’s ear as he read over his last sentence for the thousand time. Just ten more words but he was done with this essay. There was nothing more to say and it was driving him insane. A loud groan left his lips as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. Pumpkin whined softly, clearly not liking that her owner sounded distressed. Hongbin saved the file and shut his laptop. Maybe those last ten words would write themselves or the world would look different after dinner. Pumpkin was delighted that the cursed laptop was from Hongbin’s lap and immediately climbed into the newly empty space. Hongbin smiled at the dog lovingly, enjoying its warmth and simply forgot about the last ten words. Two more days and he would spend Christmas at Jaehwan’s place. Luckily, Jaehwan had fallen in love with Pumpkin as well and she was allowed to celebrate with them. Taekwoon had agreed too because he loved dogs. Jaehwan had been worried about the hair but one look from Pumpkin and his heart had been melted. Their puppy surely knew how to charm everyone. Maybe she would be able to charm Hongbin out of his last essay. A pointless thought because his professor only liked cats. 

 

Pumpkin rose her head and waggled her ears shortly. Hongbin heard the keys turn and the dog jumped from his lap immediately. Sanghyuk greeted the dog while also making sure that she wouldn’t get to their food. Hongbin watched that scene with a fond smile and was caught when Sanghyuk turned to look at him. The demon didn’t say anything but simply smiled back at him. 

 

“Got you some Pizza. How’s the essay doing?” announced Sanghyuk, putting the cartoon on the dining table. Hongbin couldn’t bring himself to stand up from the couch even though he was starving. 

 

“Ten more words but there’s nothing left to say,” groaned Hongbin, hiding his face in his palms. He could hear Sanghyuk chuckle but he was too exhausted to reprimand the demon. 

 

“Should I proof-read it for you?” suggested Sanghyuk, as he took off his shoes and Pumpkin tried to lick his face. 

 

“That would be awesome.”

 

“You owe me. That makes two favors.”

 

“You lost one when you bought Pumpkin without my permission,” interjected Hongbin.

 

“Dang it.”

 

“Give me the Pizza, I’m starving,” whined Hongbin. He was in an emotional state where he didn’t care about anything anymore. It was all too exhausting. He really needed some free days. 

 

“How about you thank me first? And why can’t you welcome me as cheerily as Pumpkin?” asked Sanghyuk, pouting slightly. Hongbin knew that it was a joke but couldn’t help himself but roll his eyes. 

 

“You want me to jump at you and lick your face? That’s gross.”

 

“She’s giving me kisses, you idiot!”

 

“So you want a kiss or what?”

 

“I wouldn’t mind one,” winked Sanghyuk and Hongbin threw a pillow against his head. The demon only laughed and finally took the Pizza back in his hands and stepped towards Hongbin. 

 

“Stop flirting with me and give me the damn Pizza!”

 

“Only if you say please,” sang Sanghyuk, a bright grin on his lips whereupon Hongbin could only heave a heavy sigh. 

 

“Fine. Please!”

 

“With less sarcasm.”

 

“I’ll destroy you,” hissed Hongbin, ready to throw another pillow. Sanghyuk rose his free hand in surrender and gave Hongbin his Pizza. The latter’s stomach groaned and he immediately opened the cartoon. The rich smell of tomato sauce and cheese filled his nose and he had never been happier in his life. 

 

“Someone really isn’t in a good mood. Let’s hope you’re in a better mood on Christmas Eve!”

 

“I have plenty of Christmas Spirit. I’m just really exhausted,” said Hongbin while he chewed on his pizza. Sanghyuk settled down beside him and Pumpkin joined him. The couch was a bit too small for two people and a dog but they always made it work. It would become harder once Pumpkin was at her full size. 

 

“You’ll finish this essay and work one more day and then you’re free,” said Sanghyuk, trying to cheer Hongbin up but it wasn’t working. 

 

“You try to sound encouraging but you’re not.”

 

“Oh come on. How about I promise you a video gaming day?”

 

“Hmm, that sounds far more encouraging,” mused Hongbin before picking up another piece. 

 

“Knew it. Now, let me read that horrible essay and you eat. Don’t give Pumpkin anything or she’ll get fat,” said Sanghyuk and grabbed Hongbin’s laptop. Pumpkin who had watched Hongbin carefully turned her head towards Sanghyuk and her brows looked furrowed. 

 

“I think you just offended her,” laughed Hongbin and gave a tiny bit of pizza to Pumpkin who munched it hastily. Sanghyuk patted her head before diving into Hongbin’s essay. Hongbin might be exhausted but at least he was full, cuddling with his dog and Sanghyuk was next to him. He would’ve never thought that one day he might be glad that he had summoned a demon. Honestly, he would miss Sanghyuk severely and he didn’t even want to think about the demon gone from his life. Sanghyuk side glanced at him and smiled. It wasn’t a grin or a smirk as usual but a true smile. It made Hongbin’s heart beat faster, way too fast for his liking but he couldn’t deny it. He was slowly falling for Sanghyuk. 

 

*** 

 

 

On the night of Christmas Eve, Sanghyuk, Hongbin, and Pumpkin walked to Jaehwan’s flat. It wasn’t far away and the weather was rather mild. Also, seeing Pumpkin run through the snow was too adorable to miss it. Sanghyuk held her leash while Hongbin surveyed their surroundings. The streets were nearly empty. Most people were already celebrating with their families. They had only taken this long to go over because Sanghyuk hadn’t been sure what to wear and Hongbin had to look at far too many outfits. Sanghyuk looked hella fine in all of them but he had chosen something casual at last. Simple dark blue jeans and a black hoodie. Hongbin nearly wore the same only that his hoodie was navy blue. Jaehwan would surely comment on it though. Something about couple outfits, only to annoy Hongbin. 

 

He was glad that they were celebrating at Jaehwan’s place because Hongbin tended to become depressed during the holidays because he wasn’t able to celebrate it with his family most of the time. His mother and grandmother lived far away and he rarely had enough money to afford a flight or to rent a car. Jaehwan always made sure to distract Hongbin during the holidays. He was really grateful for having such a great friend plus Taekwoon was an awesome cook and Hongbin wouldn’t have to stomach Sanghyuk’s barely edible dinner. The demon tried really hard and Hongbin appreciated it but he simply wasn’t a good cook, though he had already improved. 

 

When they arrived, Pumpkin sat down next to Sanghyuk and looked at her owner expectantly. Before Hongbin could ring the bell the door opened and a brightly smiling Jaehwan greeted them. Of course, he immediately crouched down to pet Pumpkin. 

 

“There is my favorite guest!” sang Jaehwan and Pumpkin excitedly ran towards him. 

 

“We’re also very glad to see you, Jaehwan,” said Hongbin sarcastically which earned him a dark look from his best friend. Pumpkin danced around Jaehwan joyfully, barking occasionally. 

 

“You won't even stop with the sarcasm on such a festive day, Beanie?”

 

“Pfft, you know me better than that!”

 

“Stop being a witty asshole and come in!” commanded Jaehwan and pulled Hongbin into a hug. Hongbin huffed a laugh and saw that Taekwoon was standing in the doorframe to the kitchen with a tiny smile on his face. After Jaehwan let him go, Sanghyuk was the next one to receive a hug. Hongbin couldn’t stop his stomach from twisting with slight jealousy but he ignored it and greeted Taekwoon instead. It was Christmas Eve after all, no time to be jealous and ponder about his crush on Sanghyuk. 

 

Taekwoon and Sanghyuk were meeting each other for the first time this night and Jaehwan and Hongbin watched the exchange curiously. Taekwoon shook Sanghyuk’s hand friendly and managed a slight smile. It seemed a bit awkward at first and Sanghyuk even looked a bit intimidated by Taekwoon. Hongbin couldn’t blame him because he had felt the same way when he had seen Taekwoon for the first time. Only Jaehwan had never seemed intimidated by Taekwoon, hence why they were a couple now. Taekwoon would’ve been way to shy to make the first step but Jaehwan had been bold enough for both of them. To most, they were a peculiar couple as if a cat and dog loved each other but Hongbin had never met a couple that was happier with each other. Not even his parents. 

 

Hongbin followed Pumpkin into the living room where a rather puny dining table was set for four people with a bowl for Pumpkin beside it. The dog seemed even more excited when she noticed the bowl and sat down in front of it, waiting for it to be filled. Hongbin smiled at his dog and sat down on the chair right next to her. Jaehwan had already started a conversation with Sanghyuk and showed him around while Taekwoon had vanished into the kitchen again. The smell of food filled the whole flat but it was so mouth-watering delicious that no one would mind it. Hongbin noticed that Jaehwan had bought his favorite wine and had to smile slightly. His best friend might be a nuisance but he always thought about Hongbin. 

 

“…and that’s how Hongbin broke his arm in the Zoo!” finished Jaehwan and Sanghyuk laughed loudly. Hongbin groaned loudly. Of course, he should’ve never allowed those two to be alone. Jaehwan would only feed Sanghyuk with embarrassing stories of Hongbin’s childhood and Sanghyuk would tease him about it. This stupid wine bottle needed to be opened immediately. Hongbin wouldn’t survive this night without being at least a little bit tipsy. 

 

“You were a very clumsy child, Beanie!” declared Sanghyuk, still laughing and settled down beside Hongbin. Of course, there weren’t specific seating arrangements but Hongbin couldn’t help himself and feel his heart swell as Sanghyuk seated himself beside him. As if it was the most natural thing in the world which it actually was because they constantly sat next to each other. Nothing unusual about that but his emotions were running wild. 

 

“Don’t use this nickname and yes I was. Once, I accidentally broke Jaehwan’s nose as I was trying to get some ice cream out of the refrigerator.”

 

“Holy shit, really?” laughed Sanghyuk and shot a glance into Jaehwan’s direction who sat down opposite to Hongbin. 

 

“You can say the word holy?” asked Jaehwan interested. 

 

“Um, why shouldn’t I?”

 

“Because you’re a demon?”

 

“That’s very close-minded of you Jaehwan!” reprimanded Sanghyuk jokingly whereupon Jaehwan only rolled his eyes. 

 

“I’m sorry. But yes that really happened. By the way, I’m still angry about that, Beanie!” said Jaehwan and looked straight at Hongbin who snorted. 

 

“Look that stupid package was stuck to the ice and I tried my hardest to get it out and you wanted to scare me from behind. It’s your own fault that my elbow broke your nose!”

 

“I’m telling him to this day that I didn’t want to scare him but give him a back hug. I only had the best intentions and you hurt me!” cried Jaehwan shrilly which made both Sanghyuk and Hongbin wince. They had had this discussion a thousand times since the incident had happened and they never found common ground. This discussion would last until they were grey and old. 

 

“Bullshit!” said Hongbin. They all stopped talking as soon as Taekwoon entered the room with a big turkey. It smelled so wonderful that Hongbin nearly wanted to cry. Most of the year he lived off take out, cafeteria food and lately Sanghyuk’s barely edible dinner and Taekwoon’s food was always a treat. He couldn’t wait to take a bite from that juicy turkey with some mashed potatoes and sauce. He touched his chin to make sure that he wasn’t drooling yet. Even Sanghyuk who didn’t have to eat and never wanted to looked impressed and hungry. No one, not even a demon could resist Taekwoon’s food. 

 

“Honey this looks splendid. You’re the best,” exclaimed Jaehwan as Taekwoon set the Turkey on the table. The older one flushed lightly and muttered a faint: “Thank you.”

Jaehwan smiled so brightly at his boyfriend that it made Hongbin cringe. But it was kind of a positive cringing. No one was more in love with their partner than Jaehwan was with Taekwoon. Every look and smile he gave the older one was filled with love, with so much love that it made even Hongbin’s heart hurt. He would probably cry with Jaehwan should they ever break up. Hongbin highly doubted that this would ever happen because these two simply belonged together. 

 

Taekwoon took two more trips from the kitchen to the living room until everything was in place. Jaehwan had opened the wine bottle during that time and filled Hongbin’s glass generously. Sanghyuk had declined because he couldn’t get drunk.

 

“That is a very sad fate, my friend. Immortal and you can’t even get drunk. I would quit immediately!” said Jaehwan as Sanghyuk mentioned it and Hongbin rose his glass in agreement before taking a sip. 

 

“Not everybody drowns their sorrows in alcohol, Jaehwan,” mentioned Taekwoon who was carving the turkey. Sanghyuk watched him in fascination while Hongbin’s stomach started grumbling. 

 

“I don’t drink because I’m sad. I drink because I fucking can, Babe!” proclaimed Jaehwan after he took a sip of his wine. Taekwoon only rolled his eyes but had a tiny smile on his lips. 

 

“Will you eat something, Sanghyuk?” asked Taekwoon softly and distracted Sanghyuk from watching him carve the turkey. 

 

“I don’t really need to but it’s Christmas, so I’ll eat a bit. Can’t let it waste away, right? And you worked pretty hard,” answered Sanghyuk politely, watching Taekwoon’s reaction cautiously. Hongbin wanted to squeeze Sanghyuk’s arm in encouragement but he was a coward and didn’t dare to touch Sanghyuk. His heart would only launch into a marathon. 

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” said Taekwoon and smiled at Sanghyuk who smiled back. The ice finally seemed to be broken. Taekwoon didn’t know that Sanghyuk was an annoying brat. He was still oblivious to that fact and Hongbin considered praying for his poor nerves. 

 

“How come you celebrate Christmas? It’s a religious day after all,” the wine seemed to show its effects on Jaehwan already because he was even chattier than usual. Sanghyuk didn’t seem bothered by it though. 

 

“Nah I don’t really care about your religion. I just enjoy the festive atmosphere.”

 

“And you’re doing it for Hongbin right?”

 

“What the hell, Jaehwan?” spluttered Hongbin, nearly choking on his own spit. Sanghyuk smiled sheepishly at his roommate and shrugged.

 

“Just saying,” whispered Jaehwan around his glass and Hongbin considered throttling him. 

 

“Stop arguing and give me your plate!” intervened Taekwoon, his voice still soft but his tone harder. Jaehwan didn’t complain and simply did as his boyfriend asked him to. Soon, all of their plates were filled with delicious food and they launched into eating. It was a light atmosphere and conversation flowed easily. That’s what Hongbin loved about spending Christmas with his friends. It was different from spending it with his family but also quite similar. In the end, he was just spending Christmas with his second family and Sanghyuk had become a part of that as well. 

 

Maybe it was the wine that made him bolder but during dinner and their conversations, he occasionally touched Sanghyuk’s shoulder or boxed him lightly. At one point, one of his arms was propped on Sanghyuk’s shoulder. The demon smiled amusedly at Hongbin but didn’t seem to mind the contact. Even through his clothing, Hongbin could feel Sanghyuk’s body heat and it filled his stomach with butterflies. He was crushing so hard on his demonic roommate and he should really stop drinking wine or he might confess that crush accidentally. 

 

*******

 

After dinner and cleaning up, they had settled down on the big couch. Hongbin was sitting awfully close to Sanghyuk which they always did on their couch in their flat but here it was different. More intimate for some kind of reason. Hongbin blamed the wine for his slightly reddened cheeks. It certainly wasn’t because one of Sanghyuk’s arm rested on his shoulder all casually. Also, his stomach didn’t flip like an excited dolphin. Nope, not at all. 

 

For some kind of reason, Sanghyuk had decided to ask Taekwoon about aliens and Hongbin had never heard Taekwoon talk for this long. He had facts, theories and all sorts of things. Jaehwan only managed to roll his eyes and open another bottle of wine but there was love in his eyes. He secretly loved Taekwoon’s passion for everything extra-terrestrial. Sanghyuk was biting his lips, clearly trying not to laugh at Taekwoon and it made him look awfully attractive. Hongbin felt the urge to kiss his roommate and realized that he should really stop drinking. Jaehwan was about to fill his glass again but he declined. 

 

“And I thought, I would have to carry your drunk ass home?” whispered Sanghyuk in his ear, still looking at Taekwoon who was talking passionately. A shiver ran down his spine because Sanghyuk was too close and his warm breath tickled Hongbin’s ear shell. 

 

“I may be a bit tipsy but I’m not drunk!” clarified Hongbin to which Sanghyuk only snorted. That earned him a poke in his ribs. Sanghyuk laughed softly and patted the spot. Hongbin rolled his eyes but a smile slowly spread on his lips. His dimples were probably on full display, something he used to be insecure about but nowadays he really liked them. He felt Sanghyuk staring at them as well and he turned his head into the direction of the demon.

 

“What?”

 

“You look really cute, especially with your dimples,” admitted Sanghyuk, his eyes raking over Hongbin’s face. The latter felt a bit self-conscious for a second but the wine had made him even bolder than usual. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. 

 

“Now who’s the one that’s drunk?” laughed Hongbin and Sanghyuk pulled him a bit closer. Hongbin’s shoulder was now touching Sanghyuk’s chest and his stomach flipped wildly. Hongbin wanted to drown in that warmth, never wanted to let Sanghyuk go but he needed to keep a clear head. 

 

“Just take a compliment for once, you idiot,” complained Sanghyuk, his mouth far closer than before. Hongbin’s heart felt as if it was going to explode. Hongbin could only focus on Sanghyuk, he had completely forgotten about their hosts. Sure there was Taekwoon’s voice still talking in the background but for a moment there only seemed to be Sanghyuk. It would’ve been so easy to take a step forward and kiss the demon but Hongbin was still a coward, even with alcohol in his blood. He simply couldn’t take the last step and hoped that Sanghyuk might take it. The demon’s eyes were filled with the same want as Hongbin’s. It would’ve been so easy but neither took the next step. 

 

“Stop flirting and eye-fucking each other. There are children in this room and yes I’m talking about your dog!” Jaehwan’s shrill voice tore them out of their world and the magical spell was gone. Hongbin felt soberer and made sure there was more distance between him and Sanghyuk. He made sure that they weren’t touching anymore, even though his heart rebelled against it. Sanghyuk smiled at him, a light blush on his cheeks and Hongbin was glad that he wasn’t the only one that had been caught up in the moment. 

 

Luckily, Jaehwan didn’t pester them about their little moment and instead launched into the next topic. More laughs were shared and Hongbin drank another glass of wine, simply to drown out his still frantically beating heart. They stayed until 2 AM in the morning, Pumpkin already sleeping on the couch next to them. Hongbin was starting to become sleepy and Jaehwan had already fallen asleep more than once against Taekwoon’s shoulder. They said their goodbyes and a drowsy Pumpkin followed them home. Far less interested in the snow now and more inclined to fall asleep again. Hongbin luckily had control over his limbs and didn’t sway on his feet. Sanghyuk still had wrapped an arm around his shoulder to keep him upright. Hongbin didn’t mind it at all and simply enjoyed the added warmth on this cold winter night. 

 

Once they were home, Pumpkin immediately laid down on her pillow-filled basket. Sanghyuk petted her lovingly and seemed a bit tired as well. Hongbin threw his shoes in a corner and his jacket landed on one of the dining chairs. He wasn’t going to bother with order now. He only wanted to fall into his bed and sleep. Sanghyuk fluffed up his pillows and got his blanket ready. Hongbin always wondered how Sanghyuk managed to find good sleep on that horrible couch but the demon never complained. He should really get his roommate a bed even if it took up some space.

 

He stepped towards Sanghyuk who laughed at his sluggish steps. 

 

“You should really go to bed Hongbin,” said the demon and was ready to catch Hongbin in case he lost his footing. The latter managed to get close to Sanghyuk without breaking his bones. 

 

“Yeah just one second,” slurred Hongbin, drunk on sleep and wine. 

 

“What do you need? The bathroom is down the hall.”

 

“I know where the bathroom is, genius,” Hongbin rolled his eyes and grabbed the front of Sanghyuk’s hoodie as some kind of support to keep an upright position. 

 

“Then what?” asked the demon patiently and watched Hongbin closely. There was the want in those eyes again and Hongbin nearly took the next step but changed his opinion again. 

 

“Merry Christmas,” whispered Hongbin and pecked Sanghyuk’s cheeks. The demon’s eyes widened shortly before a soft smile spread on his lips. His hands grabbed Hongbin’s face and Hongbin’s heart started to race frantically. Sanghyuk could probably feel his racing pulse. 

 

“Merry Christmas, you idiot,” said Sanghyuk and pressed his lips against Hongbin’s forehead. It wasn’t a kiss on the lips but it still made Hongbin’s heart flutter. He was falling even harder for Sanghyuk. Every second he was close to him, he was falling a bit more for him. 

 

They held eye contact for a few seconds before Sanghyuk let go of his face and Hongbin went into his bedroom. His heart was still racing and the scene was replaying in his head. They had been so close, so close to kiss for the first time but they both were too cowardly to do it. Hongbin wanted to punch himself for not being bolder. However, he couldn’t agonize about that for too long because sleep pulled him under very quickly. 


	6. PART SIX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware there's some angst in this chapter (& in the next few as well but hey I don't want to spoil anything)   
> Have fun while reading!   
> P.S.: Super grateful for all your support on this story ❤︎

**PART SIX**

 

They didn’t talk about Christmas Eve or rather that they had been about to kiss. It was simply ignored and they moved on with their life. Sanghyuk still flirted with Hongbin and tried to rile him up but it was less frequently. They had also minimized their physical contact, so things did change. Hongbin tried not to be bothered by that but at times he missed the way Sanghyuk casually laid his legs in Hongbin’s lap while they watched TV and fell asleep after a while. Only one thing would never change and that was that Hongbin would come home in the evening and had to taste Sanghyuk’s self-made dinner. Lately, it had improved considerably and Hongbin assumed that Sanghyuk was secretly taking cooking lessons. He appreciated it because at least dinner was finally edible and he didn’t have to eat too much cafeteria food anymore. 

 

Pumpkin was growing gradually and the space on their couch shrunk the bigger she got. One day, Hongbin had come home to see Sanghyuk sit on the floor while Pumpkin had taken over the couch. That had been the point when they had decided to buy a new and bigger couch. Luckily, Hongbin still had some money on the side even though Christmas had left a big dent in his wallet. Sanghyuk paid half of the couch with a wink and it annoyed Hongbin. He would rather be able to buy it all by himself than let a demon pay the other half. However, they were roommates after all and it shouldn’t really bother him. Now, they had a couch that they could all comfortably sit on. Pumpkin had approved of it immediately and snored loudly. Both the dog and the couch had been a great investment. 

 

Hongbin was lounging on said couch with said dog in his lap. Pumpkin had never stopped climbing into their laps and they had never stopped her. Sometimes Hongbin really regretted it because their precious puppy was becoming a fully grown and heavy dog. It was hard to stand up with a big dog weighing you down. Most of the time he didn’t mind it because Pumpkin was wonderfully warm and he could just waste time with cuddling and petting her, forgetting his stress and worries for once. 

 

However, his conflicting emotions towards his roommate wouldn’t leave him alone so easily. Sanghyuk literally owned his thoughts. He thought about the demon nearly all the time. About his smile, his witty comments, how he cooked dinner, how he played with Pumpkin. Every action made Hongbin’s heart beat faster and he was starting to feel miserable. Lovesick some might say. He wanted to be close to Sanghyuk at all times but he never gave into his desires. It would only become awkward plus he wasn’t even sure if Sanghyuk was able to reciprocate his feelings. Sometimes he felt Sanghyuk stare at him but he never caught the look in his eyes. The demon was always too quick for him. 

 

Hongbin heaved a heavy sigh to which Pumpkin looked his way. He smiled at the dog and scratched the dog between her ears. Pumpkin also sighed but it was a relaxed one and closed her eyes again. Sanghyuk walked into the living room, his hair still wet from his shower but he was fully clothed. (Hongbin definitely wasn’t disappointed about that.) Pumpkin and Hongbin looked his way as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Sanghyuk stemmed his hands on his hips, a move that he had learned from Jaehwan. 

 

“I thought you lazy asses were taking a walk,” said Sanghyuk, looking mildly disappointed at his roommates. Hongbin barely managed to keep his head up. He was too tired to do anything and luckily, Pumpkin felt the exact same way. 

 

“We wanted to but the couch is more comfortable and it’s raining outside,” Hongbin tried to bluff them of whereupon Sanghyuk could only shake his head with a slight smile on his lips. However, the smile seemed less sincere than usual. In general, Sanghyuk didn’t look like someone that just had a relaxing shower and a lazy day ahead of him. He looked pallid and ruffled his hair more than usual. Hongbin furrowed his eyebrows critically. He had never seen his roommate like this before. 

 

“You seem a bit distressed,” assessed Hongbin as Sanghyuk walked towards the couch and plopped down next to Hongbin’s feet. Pumpkin wagged her tail lazily, happy to see her other owner. 

 

“You’re far more observant than usual.”

 

“I'm bored.”

 

“Yes I am kind of distressed but also annoyed. I may have to leave for two months,” admitted Sanghyuk and ripped Hongbin out of his lazy haze. Suddenly, Hongbin was wide awake and propped himself up on his elbows. Pumpkin groaned at the abrupt movement but didn’t move a single centimeter. 

 

“What? Where to?” asked Hongbin a bit too stressed for his own liking. Sanghyuk clearly had to stifle his laughter. 

 

“Um home? Hell, you know,” answered Sanghyuk and started scratching Pumpkin’s stomach. 

 

“Already getting sick of me?”

 

“Never,” Sanghyuk winked and Hongbin rolled his eyes but his stomach tightened slightly. That ridiculous crush was getting out of hand. He should be used to that wink by now because Sanghyuk constantly winked at him. 

 

“Stop flirting and start talking,” grumbled Hongbin and kicked Sanghyuk lightly. The demon grabbed his foot and squeezed it warningly. He knew that Hongbin was ticklish and would use it against him. 

 

“It's complicated. We have some kind of crisis and Hakyeon told me to come down as fast as I can. He’s also still pissed that I was summoned and don’t do my job properly,” explained Sanghyuk and rubbed his face in annoyance. He was clearly stressed out but he had hidden it from Hongbin perfectly. He wondered how long this had bothered Sanghyuk. He had never thought about asking him about his life in hell. He had always assumed that it didn’t matter. The name Hakyeon didn’t even ring a bell and he felt a spark of jealousy. Maybe he had been wrong all this time and his demonic roommate was in some kind of relationship in hell and this was just a change of scene for a few years. 

 

“Who is Hakyeon?” Hongbin tried not to sound jealous or too interested in the demon behind that name but Sanghyuk always knew his intentions. The demon grinned at him, scooting closer to Hongbin.

 

“Jealous? Don’t worry, he’s just my very nosy boss who also treats me like his child,” stated Sanghyuk and a weight lifted from Hongbin’s chest. 

 

“I’m not jealous,” grunted Hongbin, a blush covering his cheeks and Sanghyuk laughed at him. He enjoyed Hongbin’s embarrassment way too much which also earned him another kick. 

 

“Of course not.”

 

“Don’t get smart with me, Sanghyuk!”

 

“Anyway, I have to go back for about two months to cover this crisis but then I’ll be back. I’m actually not allowed to leave thanks to our contract but desperate times call for desperate measures or something like that,” sighed Sanghyuk. Sadness reflected in his eyes and it made Hongbin’s heart ache. Two months without the demon would be very lonely. He wanted to say something, something that would make sure that Sanghyuk stayed but nothing left his lungs. Sanghyuk’s eyes seemed to drink in every detail of Hongbin’s face. It made Hongbin feel all sorts of things but especially an immense urge to kiss Sanghyuk. He didn’t do it though. Coward. 

 

“You’re leaving today? You’re lucky I can do most of my work from home, so that someone can take care of Pumpkin,” Hongbin said instead, trying to break the tension between them. Sanghyuk glanced at the dog lying between them and smiled softly. 

 

“Yeah after dinner and no need to worry about Pumpkin. Taekwoon would gladly dog-sit her anytime.”

 

“Sure but than we would never get her back.”

 

“Most probably,” Sanghyuk grinned and scratched Pumpkin behind her ears as Hongbin had been doing all the time. Maybe it was an excuse to touch Hongbin’s hand or he was starting to become delusional. 

 

“I’ll miss you,” admitted Sanghyuk, still looking at the dog but Hongbin knew that it had been directed at him. It was the first time Sanghyuk wasn’t able to look at him and it hurt. It hurt because those words meant more to Hongbin than the demon might realize. 

 

“She’ll miss you too,” mumbled Hongbin also looking at Pumpkin before their eyes met and they both smiled sheepishly. They were fucking cowards. 

 

They spend the rest of the day as they usually would. Played some video games, took a long walk with Pumpkin and then Sanghyuk cooked dinner for Hongbin. It would be the last time for two months and Hongbin already dreaded the upcoming weeks. However, he tried to act as if everything was all right. As if it didn’t even bother him that Sanghyuk would be gone. He had become far too used to the demon. Dinner was spent in silence. There was nothing to say but also too much on Hongbin’s mind. He wanted to say a lot to Sanghyuk but he kept his mouth shut and simply ate his food. 

 

“How are you leaving?” asked Hongbin after finishing his dinner and Sanghyuk put the dishes away. 

 

“Vanishing into blue flames,” answered the demon casually as he got rid of his apron and walked back into the living room. Hongbin raised one eyebrow because he had thought they might have to draw another pentagram and all that shit. 

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yeah they kind of work like a portal.”

 

“Could I go through it?”

 

“Nah not without dying and being stuck in hell forever afterwards,” mused Sanghyuk while tapping his chin. His left foot had started to draw circles on the wooden floor and Hongbin only hoped that the flames wouldn’t destroy it. His landlord surely wouldn’t like that. 

 

“Sounds delightful.”

 

“It’s hell, don’t expect too much.”

 

“I still have to see you in your fox form,” reminded Hongbin and tore his eyes from Sanghyuk’s feet and to his face. The demon grinned and said with a wink: “After I’m back.”

 

“Hopefully, Pumpkin will still like you or she might rip you to shreds.”

 

“No, my baby would never hurt me, right?” 

 

Pumpkin wagged her tail and walked towards her owner, ready for some cuddles. Sanghyuk scratched and patted her excessively and Hongbin watched them with a smile on his lips. Pumpkin might miss Sanghyuk even more than he would. He stood up from his seat and walked towards them. This was the last time he would see Sanghyuk and he tried to gather all his courage and hugged the demon once he was done petting the dog. Sanghyuk seemed a bit caught off guard at first but responded to the hug. His long arms wrapped around Hongbin’s body, pulling him closer, so that their bodies were flush against each other. Hongbin wanted to drown in this warm fuzzy feeling forever. His heart was sprinting in his chest and Sanghyuk could probably feel it but he didn’t care. He wanted Sanghyuk to know that this goodbye was hard for him. Their hug lasted too long to be called casual or friendly. 

 

The blue flames of the portal were burning behind Sanghyuk, signaling that it was time for him to go. The demon squeezed Hongbin tightly one more time before loosening his grip. It was hard for Hongbin but he let got of the demon as well. He was about to say something but Sanghyuk’s lips against his forehead made him stop. All he could focus on was their warm and soft press against his skin and how it filled his stomach with an innumerable amount of butterflies. 

 

“Don’t miss me too much,” whispered Sanghyuk, stroked Hongbin’s cheek one last time before he vanished into the blue flames. Hongbin had wanted to come up with a witty comeback but he was still frozen in place and Sanghyuk was already gone. Pumpkin whined loudly and scratched the place her owner had been standing a few seconds ago. Hongbin crouched down and pulled the dog close, feeling as miserable as her. His body was still buzzing thanks to the hug and kiss but his heart felt as if it was torn apart by an invisible force. This wasn’t a crush anymore. 

 

*******

 

The first week without Sanghyuk was okay, manageable. The second week was already a bit harder on him and Pumpkin as well. The dog started whining whenever they came home and Sanghyuk wasn’t there waiting for them. Hongbin understood the dog all too well. He was missing Sanghyuk but at least he had work to distract him from the obvious absence of his roommate. Still, in the third week he started to feel rather miserable without the demon. No one would cook him dinner, no one would annoy him or distract him from work. All those things that usually annoyed him about Sanghyuk, he now missed them dearly. 

 

Hongbin usually wasn’t someone that drowned in their own misery but it was a Sunday and he had nothing better to do anyway. Pumpkin was lying next to him on the sofa, warming his feet and half awake because Hongbin was eating ice cream and she might get some of it. Hongbin was wrapped in a blanket and had watched TV since waking up. He felt like a lovesick teenager and at least the first part was true. He missed Sanghyuk who would’ve made fun of him by now and force him to go outside to get some much needed fresh air. Or make him some proper food at least. Hongbin had only survived off of sweets, chips and ice cream these past few days. 

 

His misery was disturbed by his best friend who entered the flat with a loud ‘hello’. Pumpkin was immediately awake and jumped off the couch to welcome their guests. Hongbin could hear Jaehwan talk to the dog in an awfully squeaky voice that made his eyes roll. He didn’t bother to stand up and instead ate another spoon full of ice cream. Jaehwan entered the living room, followed by Pumpkin and lastly Taekwoon who was carrying a food storage box. Jaehwan threw a disproving look at Hongbin who simply shrugged, ready to drown in his misery again. 

 

“You look miserable,” stated Jaehwan, flattering as usual. Taekwoon stepped towards Hongbin and gave him the box with a slight smile. Hongbin thanked him before he threw a dark look into Jaehwan’s direction.

 

“Hello to you too, Jaehwan.”

 

“You could at least stand up and hug your best friend!”

 

“Not happening,” said Hongbin and put the ice cream container on the coffee table. Pumpkin eagerly stepped forward but Taekwoon held her back. He knew that she would only throw up after eating too much ice cream. Hongbin should reconsider his choice of a best friend. Taekwoon would definitely be a better one than Jaehwan. 

 

“Wow it’s really time for Sanghyuk to come back. You’re unbearably mopey,” said Jaehwan and sat down next to Hongbin, tearing the blanket from him which earned him a groan from Hongbin. 

 

“I’m not mopey!”

 

“Yes you definitely are. Luckily, Taekwoon and I will end your misery. We brought you some food and want to take walk with you and Pumpkin. It’s time for you to leave this flat for more than ten minutes.”

 

“It’s lazy Sunday!” moaned Hongbin, not ready to leave the flat but he appreciated the effort of his friends anyway. A change of scene may cheer him up or at least make the misery more bearable. 

 

“More like misery Sunday. Are you wearing Sanghyuk’s hoodie?” asked Jaehwan after he noticed the red pullover Hongbin was wearing and that was too long for him. Sanghyuk wore this hoodie nearly all the time, it was kind of his signature hoodie. Hongbin had found it in the hamper, worn only once and still smelling like Sanghyuk. He regretted wearing it now because it only emphasized how desperate he was. 

 

“Um…no,” drawled Hongbin, blushing in embarrassment and Jaehwan threw his hands in the air. 

 

“Oh my god, you’re pining so hard,” groaned the older one while rolling his eyes. Hongbin didn’t say anything because his best friend was right. He was pining hardcore and he should feel at least a bit of shame. He had never pined after someone, always moved on. Sanghyuk and he weren’t even an item and he acted like a heartbroken ex. Wow, he was really miserable. 

 

“Don’t be so hard on him,” reprimanded Taekwoon softly who had decided to sit on the floor next to Jaehwan’s feet and play with Pumpkin. 

 

“He’s drowning in misery because his demonic roommate left for two months. He’s even wearing said roommates clothes! Hongbin, you need help!”

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t be harsh and ask your friend what’s wrong.”

 

“I already know what is wrong, he has a stupid crush and dramatizes,” hissed Jaehwan, acting completely out of character. That earned him quizzical looks from Taekwoon and Hongbin. They had never seen him like this before. 

 

“That’s not very sensitive of you,” said Taekwoon sternly and Jaehwan sighed in defeat. He pulled Hongbin close and half hugged him. Hongbin didn’t fight it and simply submitted. 

 

“I know. Sorry, I’m so harsh, Beanie but you were like that too. Remember that stupid crush I had and I was so miserable? You gave me a piece of mind and I moved on. I thought it might help,” explained Jaehwan his rather rough behavior but it was forgiven immediately. Hongbin knew that Jaehwan would never hurt him on purpose. 

 

“It’s not that easy to move on when you’re bound to that person well in my case demon.”

 

“Is it that bad?”

 

“It’s not bad, it’s just. Ugh hard to explain.”

 

“Try,” prompted Taekwoon softly and that loosened Hongbin’s tongue. 

 

“It’s weird without him. It should be easy because I lived alone for a long time but he’s everywhere. Everything here reminds me of him and I miss coming home to the smell of dinner and eating with him. I miss his annoying voice when I try to win a game and he wants to distract him. I just miss him but it’s tearing me apart. I feel heartbroken though there’s no reason because he’ll come back. It’s-,“ Hongbin felt as if he was about to cry and his best friend pulled him closer. He was glad that Taekwoon interrupted him and said the words he wouldn’t dare to say. 

 

“You’re in love,” determined Taekwoon soberly. Hongbin would’ve denied it if Jaehwan had said it but when Taekwoon said it, it was a fact. It was no use to fight the truth anymore. Hongbin was head over heels for Sanghyuk or he wouldn’t feel this miserable. Jaehwan and Taekwoon mustered him and he nodded in agreement. 

 

“Oh Beanie,” sighed Jaehwan, at the loss for words for once. Tears pricked Hongbin’s eyes and he tried to swallow them. 

 

“I think it’s time for you to catch some fresh air,” decided Taekwoon and stood up. Jaehwan followed, pulling Hongbin with him who groaned a bit but didn’t fight anymore. His friends were here to cheer him up and he was sick of feeling miserable. Now, that he had admitted to being in love with Sanghyuk, he felt a bit lighter. Sometimes it was easier to acknowledge the truth instead of trying to hide it all the time. 

 

*******

 

A few weeks later, Hongbin expected Sanghyuk to come back any minute but he didn’t wait anxiously. University made sure that he couldn’t waste his time with that too much. He had essays to write and exams to grade for his professor. Pumpkin spent the mornings with Taekwoon who was working from home and was at home with Hongbin in the afternoons. They managed but it would be easier once Sanghyuk was back and could look after Pumpkin. 

 

Said dog was lying close to Hongbin’s feet who was working on his essay at the dining table. She always made sure to be close to Hongbin and they had bonded a lot over the weeks. Well, she had had no other choice but bind herself to Hongbin and he didn’t mind it because he loved her company. It made him feel less alone. 

 

Hongbin was typing away on his laptop, completely focused on his work for once when Pumpkin’s ears perked up and she stood up. She liked to do that once in a while, so he simply ignored her behavior. The dog pressed her nose against a specific place on the wooden floor and sniffled furiously. She even started to scratch the floor which finally made Hongbin’s head snap up. He looked at the dog questioningly and she scratched the place once again before taking a few steps back. Hongbin watched that spot until blue flames started to form a circle. His heart hammered away immediately, knowing what or rather who was coming next. 

 

Pumpkin and him watched the blue flames climb higher as a figure gradually appeared in them. It was ice cold in the room and Hongbin wished that he would at least wear a pullover but the temperature started to rise again as the flames vanished. Where a circle of flames had been seconds ago, Sanghyuk was standing there now. Still as tall as Hongbin remembered and still as good looking. His dark blue hair was a bit ruffled and he was in casual clothes, not in a suit as the first time he had appeared in Hongbin’s living room. Pumpkin barked happily and sprinted towards her owner. Sanghyuk smiled at her but he looked exhausted as if those weeks away had torn at him as well. Hongbin’s heart clenched when Sanghyuk glanced his way. 

 

The weeks of misery suddenly vanished and the world felt right again. It had been at the wrong angle for too long. Hongbin stepped towards the demon, his heart in his throat and smiled brightly, dimples on full display. Just like Sanghyuk liked it. 

 

“Missed me?” asked the demon casually with that stupid grin on his lips and Hongbin felt himself stop. His brain and body literally froze for a moment which earned him a worried look from Sanghyuk. Weeks ago he had been afraid to do it and regretted it during the time Sanghyuk had been away. He had enough of being a coward and finally took the final step. Hongbin snapped. 


	7. PART SEVEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** Your reactions to the cliff hanger were the best!   
>  Sadly, this chapter is a bit shorter and it tore me apart to write it. You'll see why soon.   
> I hope you enjoy ❤︎

**PART SEVEN**

 

Hongbin grabbed Sanghyuk by his shirt and pulled him forward. Sanghyuk seemed caught off guard by Hongbin’s boldness and nearly tripped but his reflexes kept him upright. Hongbin didn’t give him much time to comprehend the situation and kissed Sanghyuk. Time seemed to freeze. It was just skin on skin. No one moved, no one breathed. Hongbin feared that he had misinterpreted Sanghyuk’s looks and gestures. He was about to pull away but Sanghyuk wrapped his arms around his hips, pulling him even closer and finally responded to the kiss. Hongbin’s body relaxed instantly and enjoyed the way Sanghyuk’s warm lips moved against his. 

 

It was everything that he had been waiting for. So many weeks he had survived without kissing Sanghyuk but now that he had gotten a taste, he couldn’t live without it anymore. His fingers raked through Sanghyuk’s already ruffled hair as their kiss deepened. The demon’s tongue cautiously licked Hongbin’s underlip, waiting for a response. Hongbin opened his mouth without thinking twice, ready to taste more. Anything Sanghyuk was ready to give him, he was going to take it. At first, the kiss was shy and slow but Hongbin was sick of taking it slow. He had waited too long for this and Sanghyuk seemed just as eager. Their tongues tangled into a heavy dance that made his blood boil. It was passionate and maybe a bit frantic but it didn’t feel rushed. It felt just right. Hongbin knew that he was doing the right thing by just letting his emotions take over for once. 

 

Somehow they managed to stumble towards the couch without breaking their kiss or several of their bones. Sanghyuk towered over Hongbin, trying not to press too much of his weight on Hongbin. They still kissed, no one wanted to break apart but Hongbin was starting to feel a bit light headed from the lack of oxygen. In the end, Sanghyuk was the one to break their kiss, making sure that Hongbin got enough oxygen into his lungs. They both panted and simply looked at each other. It wasn’t awkward as Hongbin might have expected. The whole atmosphere was relaxed and warm. He felt a bit as if he was dreaming. Should that be the case then Hongbin never wanted to wake up again. Sanghyuk mustered him greedily, his eyes taking in everything of Hongbin after weeks of separation. 

 

“So you did miss me,” concluded the demon with a smile, drawing circles into Hongbin's hipbones with his thumb. The touch seeped right through Hongbin’s thin shirt into his skin and set it on fire. 

 

“Shut up,” replied Hongbin but smiled. It was a bright smile, the brightest one after weeks. Sanghyuk simply had an effect on him. The demon mirrored that smile before it left his lips and Hongbin feared the worst but he was surprised to get another kiss. He eagerly responded to it. They could talk some other time. Their lips wanted to do much more interesting things. Hongbin wasn’t sure but they must’ve spent hours on that couch, just making out with the occasional break to gasp for some air. Neither of them was inclined to stop what they were doing. Only when Pumpkin whined they had to break apart for good and take a walk with her. Hongbin couldn’t stop smiling and neither did Sanghyuk. During their walk, the demon snuck in some short kisses while also keeping an eye out for their dog. Hongbin’s heart had probably swelled to the size of Jupiter and his skin was buzzing. He was so ridiculously happy that he wanted to jump out of his skin. 

 

Back at their flat, Hongbin realized that it was past midnight already and he should be in bed by now because he had lectures in the morning. A groan left his lips because he wanted to stay awake with Sanghyuk. Talk about their time apart and maybe kiss some more. Okay, mostly the last part. Sanghyuk seemed to think the exact same way because as soon as he was out of his shoes and jacket, his lips were attached to Hongbin’s again. 

 

“I have university in a few hours,” mumbled Hongbin in between their kisses. He really didn’t want to end this but he would regret it in a few hours if he wouldn’t get enough sleep. Sanghyuk groaned in annoyance against his lips. 

 

“Skip class,” suggested Sanghyuk. 

 

“We both know that I would never do that unless it was an emergency.”

 

“I’m back, isn’t that an emergency?”

 

“Idiot.”

 

“Okay then off to bed with you,” sighed Sanghyuk, trying to let go of Hongbin but he wouldn’t let him go. 

 

“No.”

 

“What? You just said yourself that you have university.”

 

“What I mean is that you should sleep with me… in my bed. That sounded so wrong,” said Hongbin and his confidence faded a bit while his cheeks felt too hot. Sanghyuk wriggled his eyebrows suggestively and pulled Hongbin closer again. 

 

“Someone’s eager, huh?” whispered the demon in his ear and it sent an electric shock down his spine. Hongbin was ready to ravish him but he had some self-control left. 

 

“Shut up. You know exactly what I mean,” hissed Hongbin.

 

“It’s an honor to share a bed with you.”

 

“Stop talking and start kissing.”

 

“Your wish is my command,” said Sanghyuk and pressed their lips together again. They went to bed, fully clothed and kissed some more. It was the first night Hongbin fell asleep in the same bed as Sanghyuk and in Sanghyuk’s arms as well. He never wanted to sleep anywhere else again. 

 

*******

 

Something heavy pressed down on him and he could feel it breathe on his face. Hongbin grumbled something unintelligible as he pried his eyes open. Pumpkin’s black face was the first thing he saw and she started wagging her tail wildly. He smiled at the dog and scratched her behind one ear. She licked his face which he usually wouldn’t let happen but he was in a great mood. His brain remembered the last night. When Sanghyuk had finally come back and they had kissed. Their kisses were replaying in his head and made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Sanghyuk had even fallen asleep next to him. However, the demon was now nowhere to be seen. Hongbin furrowed his eyebrows and then looked at Pumpkin.

 

“Where’s Sanghyuk?” asked Hongbin and the dog reacted immediately. She jumped off him and ran to the bedroom door. Hongbin followed her into the kitchen where the smell of toast and eggs filled his nose. Yes, Sanghyuk definitely was back home. Hongbin would never make breakfast for himself, only drink a coffee and then go to university. Pumpkin stopped walking and sat down next to Sanghyuk who was scratching some burnt egg out of the pan. She barked once and then expectantly looked at Hongbin. 

 

“Good girl,” praised Hongbin and stole a piece of egg from his own plate and gave it to her. Sanghyuk's eyes jumped from Hongbin to Pumpkin, questioning what just had happened. 

 

"She found you,” explained Hongbin and sat down in a dining chair. Sanghyuk rolled his eyes and stopped his scratching. The atmosphere was less relaxed than yesterday. Something was off and Sanghyuk seemed tense. Hongbin wondered if the demon regretted their night, even though nothing too big had happened. They had just kissed. Just. Sanghyuk gave Hongbin his breakfast and then settled down on the other chair. Pumpkin, the ever loyal and hungry dog, sat next to Hongbin and laid her head on his lap, hoping that she might get some of his breakfast. 

 

However, Hongbin couldn’t focus on the cute dog either on his breakfast. His stomach was starting to tangle itself into knots because everything seemed so wrong. They should smile at each other, maybe kiss some more. There shouldn’t be an awkward silence. Sanghyuk shouldn’t look conflicted and tense and Hongbin shouldn’t play with his food because he was anxious. The truth was that they weren't a couple and it hit Hongbin right in the face. He didn’t know what he had expected to happen after last night but at least something. Maybe that they talked about their feelings, not utter silence. 

 

“Hongbin…,” Sanghyuk seemed to search for words. He wanted to say something but he was struggling to get it out of his mouth. Hongbin expected the worst and put his fork down. He absolutely wasn’t hungry anymore. In fact, he might vomit any second. 

 

“Spit it out,” mumbled Hongbin. He couldn’t bring himself to sound angry or pissed. His body felt empty, his emotions were frozen in place. They were waiting for Sanghyuk’s hurtful words, ready to burst any second. 

 

“I’m trying not to make it sound too harsh.”

 

“It’ll hurt, no matter what words you use or how you phrase it.”

 

“You don’t even know what I want to say,” Sanghyuk sounded weary and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. Yesterday, Hongbin would’ve kissed them and Sanghyuk would’ve smiled at his silliness but today everything was different. As if they were in another world. 

 

“We both know exactly what you’ll say.”

 

“That we should just be friends? That we shouldn’t have kissed?”

 

“Yep, exactly,” chocked Hongbin. Tears pricked his eyes but he blinked them away. He wouldn’t break down in front of Sanghyuk. The demon wouldn’t even get to see one of his tears. Hongbin never showed those who hurt him how much impact they actually had on him. 

 

“I’m not going to say this Hongbin. I don’t regret kissing you. I don’t regret being this close to you-”

 

“But?”

 

“But I can’t be with you like this. I have my reasons and it’s better if we don’t cross lines,” explained Sanghyuk with a sigh. His words didn’t make sense in Hongbin’s head. In his mind, there were no obstacles, nothing that might hinder them from being in a happy relationship. 

 

“Is it the contract?” asked Hongbin, trying to find the true reason for Sanghyuk’s words. He knew that it was one simple reason but he couldn’t accept it yet. It just hurt too much to acknowledge. 

 

“No, the contract doesn’t bother with such things.”

 

“Then tell me your fucking reasons.”

 

Hongbin was starting to get angry. Sanghyuk could at least come straight to the point and tell the truth, not dance around the issue. Hongbin hated it. 

 

“I can’t. I just don’t want to break your heart later and make it hurt even more,” groaned Sanghyuk, ruffled his hair and avoided eye contact with Hongbin. Hongbin felt as if someone continuously stabbed him in the heart. It was hard to keep a cool mask and not let Sanghyuk show how hurt he actually was. However, he couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice anymore. He wanted to hurt Sanghyuk as much as he had hurt him. 

 

“Well, it fucking hurts right now. There’s no right moment to say such things, to end them because it’ll always hurt, no matter what,” spat Hongbin and his voice cracked. It fucking cracked and with every passing second, it was harder to keep the tears at bay. 

 

“Hongbin please-”

 

“No. It would’ve been easier if you had just told me that you don’t like me this way. That you won’t reciprocate my feelings. It wouldn’t have hurt less but at least you would’ve been honest.”

 

“That’s not-“ Sanghyuk tried to save the situation and wanted to touch Hongbin’s shoulder but the latter didn’t want any physical contact right now. Hongbin just wanted to be as far away from Sanghyuk as possible. He stood up, still in last night’s clothes, put on some shoes and a jacket and grabbed his bag. 

 

“I'm late for my lectures,” said Hongbin, trying to make his voice sound as cold as possible. He saw from the corner of his eyes that Sanghyuk was coming towards him again. The demon wanted to keep talking but Hongbin had enough. His heart was already broken, there was no need to trample on it some more. He was only saving himself. 

 

“Hongbin-“

 

“See you tonight, roommate,” were Hongbin’s last words before he left the flat. He hadn’t even said goodbye to Pumpkin as he usually would. He needed to flee from Sanghyuk, from their flat and get some fresh air. His tears wouldn’t fall, he wouldn’t cry yet. However halfway on his way to university, he had to go into a side-street and cried for at least ten minutes. He hated Sanghyuk but he mostly hated himself for letting himself fall this hard without taking precautions. He should’ve known that this wouldn’t end well and now he had to deal with the consequences. Once he had calmed down a bit, he dried his tears and continued his way to university. He might be heartbroken but that wasn’t going to influence his career. 


	8. PART EIGHT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** Sorry for all the angst last week but don't worry I'm not going to let it end on a bad note.   
>  I really love and appreciate your comments ♥︎   
> They motivate me to continue writing and you're seriously the best ♥︎  
> Also thank you so much for over 100 kudos TT.TT ♥︎  
> Enough talking, have fun while reading!

**PART EIGHT**

 

 

The next weeks were awkward, to put it nicely. Sanghyuk tried to talk to Hongbin several times but he was always blocked or ignored. When Hongbin came home, usually late, he would only pet Pumpkin and take his dinner to his room. Sanghyuk never dared to come into his room, so he kept the door open. At least, Pumpkin was still able to join him and she tried to cheer him up multiple times. Hongbin tried to drown himself in work, to forget about his aching heart and that the reason for his pain was sitting in his living room and had even made him dinner. It was no secret that he cried himself to sleep frequently, though he always tried to drown out his sobs with a pillow pressed against his face. However, he was certain that Sanghyuk was still able to hear him. 

 

The worst part of all of this was that Sanghyuk wasn’t able to leave. If he had been just a normal roommate then he would’ve been able to move out, but he was a fucking demon that Hongbin had summoned and bound himself to. They had to cope with this, somehow, until Hongbin died. Let’s be real, Hongbin felt like dying lately but he would never even think about killing himself. He had too many plans and too many people that actually cared about him. He would get over his heartbreak sooner or later and be ready to face Sanghyuk again. For now, he hid in his room and stayed out late, to make sure that he wouldn’t have to face Sanghyuk. 

 

Of course, Jaehwan knew about the whole situation. Hongbin had talked to him on the same day and cried his heart out. Jaehwan was always the first person that got to know everything that happened to him, no matter if it was good or bad. Taekwoon had witnessed it all as well because he and Jaehwan were a package. You couldn’t get one without the other but Hongbin didn’t mind it one bit. Taekwoon had made him a tea and simply listened while Jaehwan had hugged him tightly. Usually, Hongbin hated to be pampered but it was different when he felt this wrecked. That had been weeks ago and Hongbin still didn’t feel remotely better or was in any place to talk with Sanghyuk. Jaehwan had been understanding all this time and had dried Hongbin’s tears more often than the latter would like to admit. However, his best friend started to become impatient, at least that’s how it felt like to Hongbin. 

 

They were sitting in the library. Hongbin was drowning himself in work while Jaehwan was sitting opposite to him. The older one clearly wasn’t here on his own free will but rather to accompany Hongbin. Hongbin should’ve known that Jaehwan wouldn’t sit still or could keep his mouth shut for more than ten minutes. He should’ve come here alone then at least he would've got some work done. 

 

“You still look miserable. Even after all these weeks,” said Jaehwan after the obligatory ten minutes of silence between them had passed. Hongbin sighed, rolled his eyes inwardly and continued writing as he replied rather bitterly: “Well, that’s the downside of being heartbroken over your demonic roommate that is bound to you by blood. They don’t leave and remind you every day of how much they hurt you!”

 

“Someone sounds bitter.”

 

“I am bitter, Jaehwan!”

 

“Hongbin, you have to talk with Sanghyuk again. You have to spend the rest of your life with him,” called Jaehwan to attention but Hongbin knew this. He knew that he had to see Sanghyuk for the rest of his life hence why this was the worst situation of all time. 

 

“I can ignore him for the rest of the time,” grumbled Hongbin, pressing his pen harder against the paper. The only sign how much this conversation was aggravating him. 

 

“That’s not how it’s going to work.”

 

Jaehwan’s voice sounded sober as if he knew best. As if he knew how to handle this situation and it drove Hongbin insane. This know-it-all manner that his best friend used. Hongbin eyed his friend, not able to concentrate on his work anymore because there were too many emotions clouding his mind. 

 

“He broke my fucking heart! I have to see him every day and think about him kissing me. How he smiled at me that night and I thought that this is it. This is the night we finally get together, but it wasn’t. My hopes were shattered in a second and I regret that I took this step. I regret that I risked taking the first step,” hissed Hongbin, anger and sadness blending themselves together into a toxic mixture. 

 

“Don’t beat yourself up over that,” said Jaehwan and sounded a bit more empathetic than before. However, that didn’t soothe Hongbin but rather infuriated him even more. 

 

“Jaehwan, it’s been weeks and it still hurts so much. I wonder when it will stop and I try not to drown in my own misery because I know it’ll influence everything else in my life. I don’t want to stop living just because my heart was broken, but it’s so fucking hard to go on with my daily life when I know that he’ll be there. He’ll be in the flat, cooking fucking dinner for me and it actually tastes good lately and he’ll hear me cry at night. It’s not that fucking easy to let everything go.”

 

Hongbin was close to tears but he wouldn’t cry in public. Not again. It had happened too often lately and it always was quite embarrassing. Jaehwan gulped, his eyes had widened during Hongbin’s talk and he grasped his friend’s hand. Hongbin didn’t fight the physical contact. 

 

 

“I didn’t even realise that you’re so in love with Sanghyuk. Sure, I knew that you were in love, head over heels but damn you nearly break my heart with your words. It must be ten thousand times worse for you. I’m sorry for being impatient, Beanie. I just want to see you happy again. I want to see that precious dimple smile again,” sighed Jaehwan and smiled a bit at the end. The corner of Hongbin’s mouth moved up slightly before his face was back to stone. 

 

“I want to be happy too, but it's not a button that you push and it works. It takes time.”

 

“You know what. I’ll go to your flat now and have a serious talk with that demon of yours. No one hurts my best friend like this without facing my wrath,” announced Jaehwan, letting go of Hongbin’s hand and stood up. His voice had risen to a higher volume which earned them a few dark glances from the other students in the library. 

 

“No Jaehwan,” groaned Hongbin and massaged his temples. This wouldn’t end well and they both knew it, but once an idea had taken root in Jaehwan’s head, no one would be able to stop him. Not even Taekwoon would be able to stop him. 

 

“No, you listen Hongbin. He can’t hurt you like this without facing consequences so he’ll get a piece of my mind. You continue your work and go back home late as usual. I’ll take my time with taking him apart!” determined Jaehwan, his hands stemmed on his hips. Hongbin wanted to grab his best friend and stop him from ruining his life even more, but he was rooted to his seat. 

 

“Jae-“

 

“You’ll thank me later!” yelled Jaehwan, already sprinting towards the exit. His loud voice lead to groans from other students who actually tried to study in peace. 

 

“I doubt that,” said Hongbin as he watched his best friend walk away from him. 

 

“Always the optimist!”

 

*******

 

Around seven PM, Hongbin decided to finally go home. It was still light outside because spring was starting to spread and it was unusual for him to walk home in the remains of daylight. Most of the time, it was already pitch-black outside. Bless the library for being open until 12 AM and being a great safe haven. However, he had been done with his work for half an hour now and he was starting to become nervous. His stomach was twisting itself into uncomfortable knots and his knees jiggled nervously. He hadn’t heard from Jaehwan since he had left and he feared the worst. 

 

 

Jaehwan could be harsh when he was angry or disappointed. His words could hurt like a whiplash and liked to pop up in your head once in a while. Hongbin and Jaehwan had only had two big fights in all their years of being friends and they had been horrible. Hongbin always tried to avoid fights with Jaehwan because the aftermath was nasty. Luckily, they had never drifted apart and instead become even closer. Hongbin doubted that Sanghyuk would get away easily. He feared that the demon might never look at him again or decide to move out, even though it wasn’t possible for them to be apart for too long. The two months apart had torn at them and Hongbin would rather never talk to Sanghyuk again than not see him again. He didn’t want to imagine it. It might hurt to face the demon every day but it would be worse if he was completely gone from Hongbin’s life. His situation was horribly complicated and twisted, too many emotions were involved and Hongbin hated it. 

 

Every step took him closer to his flat and with every step his nervousness only increased. He was afraid to enter his own flat because his best friend thought it would be wise to confront his roommate. Sometimes Hongbin really hated Jaehwan. He took a deep breath and unlocked the front door. As usual, he was greeted by Pumpkin. That dog never seemed to be sad or tired and it always made Hongbin’s heart swell with love. He always smiled at Pumpkin. 

 

The dog led him into the living room where Sanghyuk was sitting at the dining table, two plates filled with food ready. It was still hot because Hongbin could see the steam coming off of it and even though his anxiety made him want to throw up, his mouth watered thanks to the delicious smell. He didn’t face Sanghyuk and simply went into his room first. It was cowardly to run away like that but he had to organize his thoughts first. Also, he really needed some comfortable clothes because these damn jeans were starting to itch. 

 

He slipped into comfortable black sweatpants and a wide hoodie. Pumpkin had followed him into the room, eager to spend some time with him. She settled on the bed once she had realized that Hongbin was changing into comfortable clothes. 

 

“We’re not sleeping yet, you lazy cutie,” laughed Hongbin and scratched her behind the ears lovingly. She knew exactly what to do to calm him down. This dog was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Pumpkin blinked at him and then glanced towards the door. It was as if she was signaling him to go to Sanghyuk. Maybe Hongbin was just imaging things or his dog was far more intelligent than he thought. 

 

“Okay fine,” sighed Hongbin and gathered all his courage and went back into the living room. Sanghyuk’s head shot up immediately and seeing his face triggered a tornado of emotions inside of Hongbin. There was still the heartache, the pain of seeing him but also undeniably affection. Concern came into the mix as well once Hongbin noticed that the demon’s eyes were red and puffy as if he had cried for a long time. What the hell had Jaehwan said to him? For a second, Hongbin thought about forgetting his own heartache and forgiving everything, just so he could pull Sanghyuk close. However, his own stubbornness stopped him. He simply sat down in the only free seat and started eating. He didn’t acknowledge Sanghyuk or said anything. It was hard enough to sit next to him and not burst into tears. His heart seemed to ache so severely that he nearly choked on his food but he endured it. It was all he could do. 

 

“Hongbin can we please talk?” asked Sanghyuk in a low voice, trying to catch Hongbin’s eyes. The latter formed his hands into fists and started chewing rather hard on his food. 

 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” hissed Hongbin, starring at the wall opposite to him.

 

“Than will you at least do me the favor and listen to me?”

 

“I don’t owe you anything.”

 

“Actually you do. Remember when I convinced Jaehwan to believe you that I am a demon. You still owe me that,” reminded Sanghyuk. Hongbin tried to keep his patience, though his whole body wanted to sprint into his room and never see Sanghyuk again. 

 

“Spit it out.”

 

“Jaehwan came around today and gave me a piece of his mind. He asked me if I even knew how much I hurt you and I said yes. I see it in your eyes, the way you treat me, how your shoulders sack whenever you come back home and at night when you cry yourself to sleep. I am completely aware of how much I hurt you and it tears me apart but I tried to live with it. Jaehwan was so furious, he yelled at me and I think at some point he was about to punch me in the face.”

 

“Jaehwan only punches you when you really screw something up,” stated Hongbin coldly, hoping that his words might hurt Sanghyuk. It seemed to work because from the corner of his eyes he saw Sanghyuk flinch. 

 

“I guessed so. He explained to me how you felt and that he had never seen you this miserable in years. Seems as if I underestimated your heartache. I have seen it so many times, people get their heart broken and then move on. I thought it would be the same with you but how can you move on when you have to face me every day. Jaehwan suggested for me to go.”

 

“But you can’t,” finished Hongbin and finally looked at Sanghyuk. He looked as wrecked as Hongbin felt with his swollen eyes and ruffled hair, a look of despair on his face. Hongbin thought that the demon deserved to suffer but he also wanted to kiss him badly. He hated his conflicting emotions. 

 

“Exactly, that’s how this whole thing works. I’m not done yet. Jaehwan and I talked for a very long time and I cried for the first time in centuries. I’ve lived for such a long time, seen so much of the world and was summoned by so many people but not one of them managed to confuse and affect me like you do.”

 

“Should I feel honored or what?”

 

“That’s not what I am implying, Hongbin. What I want to say is that for the first time in centuries I feel something. I feel something for my summoner and Hakyeon always warned me about that. That one day I would fall for my summoner and that it would hurt. It had happened to him before and let’s say that he has become rather bitter. I didn’t want to end up that way and promised myself to never let it get this far. I wasn’t able to stop it once I was with you. It’s really easy to fall for you and I thought it was just attraction but it wasn’t. On Christmas Eve, I realized that I would do anything for you, anything to keep you smiling and healthy. The two months away from you, tore me apart and I talked with Hakyeon about it. He warned me to hide my affection for you. I tried to follow his advice but then I saw you and you kissed me and I stopped thinking. Only when you were asleep, I realized that I fucked up. I knew that I had to break this apart before it became too serious. It was the most selfish act I ever committed. I wanted to protect my own heart and broke yours. Jaehwan laughed at me when I told him why I broke your heart. He told me that if he had been in my situation then he would’ve chosen to love you and deal with the heartache once you were gone. And he’s right. I hate every second of our situation. You ignore me, don’t talk to me and you don’t even smile. I would rather miss you for the rest of my eternal life than have you ignore and hate me for the rest of your life. I realized that my decision was selfish and I regret every second of it. Maybe it’s too late to tell you all of his and beg for forgiveness but I have to try.”

 

A few tears slipped from Sanghyuk’s eyes and he didn’t bother to wipe them away. Hongbin was overwhelmed, his brain tried to comprehend what Sanghyuk had just told him while his heart still ached. It was all too much. 

 

“It hurts so much to look at you and this conversation tears me apart. Sanghyuk, I don’t know if I can forgive you that easily,” whispered Hongbin, keeping their eye contact. He was about to cry as well but he wouldn’t let them fall. Not yet. 

 

“I don’t expect you to. I just want to talk to you again, I want to see you smile and make jokes with you. Just let me back into your life, that’s all I want.”

 

“Sanghyuk I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

 

“I am a fucking idiot and it would be crazy to give me a second chance. I just can’t take this silence but I don’t expect anything from you. It’s your life after all,” said Sanghyuk softly. Everything about him seemed cautious, afraid to hurt Hongbin even more.

 

“Sanghyuk, you hurt me. I haven’t felt this horrible in years and I never let anything get to me. I hate you, I really do but…,” Hongbin stopped, trying to find the right words. 

 

“But?”

 

"But you made me smile so many times. You cook dinner for me, you’re literally the perfect roommate besides your annoying comments. I hate to admit it but since you entered my life it changed for the better. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t horrible before but it was dull and grey. It was always you that pushed me out of my comfort zone but also knew when to stop pushing, unlike Jaehwan at times. I don’t know what to think about what you said. This is not a movie where everything will be resolved after a few emotional words. I’m still hurt but I’m glad that listened to you. I just have to think about everything. Just one night of sleep, okay?”

 

He didn’t know when he had reached for Sanghyuk’s hand but it was not intertwined with his. Sanghyuk’s skin was a bit colder than his but he enjoyed the difference. It was just a simple gesture but it was a giant step for them after weeks of not even talking to each other. 

 

“Alright,” agreed Sanghyuk and he looked relieved. He didn’t smile or anything but his whole posture changed. His shoulders relaxed and he stopped sitting straight. Hongbin felt the urge to smile and the heartache seemed to fade a bit. Sanghyuk’s thumb traced circles into the skin of his hand. Hongbin’s stomach constricted but in a pleasant way. He had missed being close to Sanghyuk. 

 

“Thanks for dinner,” said Hongbin after a few minutes of silence and untangled their hands. Sanghyuk let it go easily and smiled slightly. The conversation had drained both of them and it was no use to stay awake for any longer. Hongbin still had to process everything and sleep usually helped him to solve most problems. 

 

“Thank you for listening!” whispered Sanghyuk as Hongbin went into his bedroom, leaving the door open. 


	9. PART NINE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** There's not much to say about this chapter. As usual I hope you like it.   
>  However, I have some other news. For those of you who read [True Disaster](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11855640/chapters/26767020), the sequel is ~70% done. I'll try to finish it so that it'll be online after christmas but I can't make any promises. 
> 
> That's all, enjoy the chapter ❤︎

**PART NINE**

 

It was far easier for Hongbin to fall asleep than he had initially expected. He thought that his mind would replay the whole conversation with Sanghyuk but once he had cuddled into the blankets with Pumpkin resting beside him, sleep had found him easily. It was also the first night in ages where he didn’t wake up constantly. He only noticed that Pumpkin had slipped from his bed to take her morning walk with Sanghyuk before he fell asleep again. The smell of pancakes finally roused him completely out of his slumber. 

 

The sweet vanilla smell wafted into his room and made his mouth water while his stomach growled, telling him to get up. Two things got Hongbin out of bed without complaints. The smell of coffee and the smell of pancakes. He swung himself out of his bed after he had pried his eyes open. Before he followed the delicious smell into the kitchen, he went into the bathroom to get some morning business done and brush his teeth. During that time the smell of butter also started to enter his nose and his stomach growled even louder. 

 

Finally, he followed his stomach’s commands and made his way into the kitchen. The sweet buttery smell intensified and Hongbin hoped that the pancakes tasted as good as they smelled or else he would be very disappointed. Pumpkin was patiently waiting for a piece of pancake next to Sanghyuk who was flipping one in the pen. There were already two plates filled with pancakes, so Sanghyuk was nearly done and he had made quite the mess. Flour was nearly everywhere and cracked eggshells covered the counter beside the stove. Luckily, the demon always cleaned up because Hongbin certainly won’t. 

 

“Good morning,” said Hongbin, still sounding sleepy. Sanghyuk turned off the stove and turned around with the pan in his head. His hair was a bit messy, a style that Hongbin had gotten used to over the weeks. The demon wore his waist apron as usual and a black shirt. There was flour in his hair and on his cheek. It looked adorable and Hongbin’s heart constricted painfully. 

 

“Morning, sleepy head,” replied Sanghyuk with a bright smile and put the last pancake on top of a pile. He put the pan away and Hongbin’s eyes followed his every movement. Their conversation from yesterday still replayed in his head and he still wasn’t sure what to say or do. On the one hand, Sanghyuk had hurt him badly but on the other hand, Hongbin couldn’t stay mad at the demon any longer. Especially not when he smiled this brightly at him, far more at ease than the past few weeks. Their talk must’ve lifted a great weight from his shoulders. 

 

Sanghyuk spread butter and syrup on the piles of pancakes, the exact amount that Hongbin liked. It was such little details that made Hongbin fall even harder for Sanghyuk. The demon was attentive, always knew what Hongbin liked and in what doses. The demon caught his glance and smiled brightly again, showing his perfectly straight teeth. Hongbin was starting to feel less conflicted with every passing second. 

 

“Do I have something on my face or why do you look at me like that?” asked Sanghyuk as he walked past Hongbin to put their plates on the dining table. It was a rarity that Sanghyuk also ate breakfast but he seemed in a great mood and it was contagious. 

 

“Just a lot of flour,” laughed Hongbin and pointed to Sanghyuk’s cheek. 

 

“Dammit,” cursed the demon and tried to scrub it off but there was even more flour on his hands, so he only made everything worse. Hongbin watched him, trying not to laugh and bit his lip. 

 

“Better?” It was even worse than before. Sanghyuk’s whole cheek was covered with flour now and it looked endearing. It took Hongbin only two more seconds to decide if he forgave Sanghyuk or not. 

 

“Screw it,” mumbled Hongbin and pulled Sanghyuk into a kiss. The latter was too surprised to react for a moment but he soon moved his lips against Hongbin’s, falling into their kiss. Maybe Hongbin was reckless for forgiving Sanghyuk so easily, for believing his words and forgetting about the heartache. Let’s be real, he could’ve continued to drown in his own misery and never talk to Sanghyuk again or enjoy the time that he had with the demon. His choice had been easy after thinking about that. He had one life and he could spend it drowning in his own sorrow or being happy and Sanghyuk made him more than happy. 

 

Sanghyuk pressed him against the kitchen counter while deepening their kiss. The pancakes were forgotten and Hongbin only cared about Sanghyuk’s taste on his tongue. His hands found their way into Sanghyuk’s flour-covered hair while the latter had one hand on his hips and the other pressed against the counter. Hongbin could’ve sworn that Sanghyuk tasted a bit of vanilla, he had probably tasted the pancake dough. It only made Hongbin even hungrier but he ignored his growling stomach while Sanghyuk laughed into their kiss once he heard it. 

 

“Maybe we should eat before you try to eat me,” suggested Sanghyuk against his lips once they broke their kiss. Hongbin chased his lips, wanting more. His head was spinning and couldn’t even think about food when Sanghyuk was this close to him. 

 

“Maybe,” said Hongbin before pulling Sanghyuk into another kiss. The demon didn’t complain and simply went with whatever Hongbin wanted. Hongbin never wanted to stop kissing Sanghyuk ever again. He wanted to do it all day even if his stomach protested against him. He felt alive, far more alive than before. His skin and stomach were prickling in the most delicious way. It only made his heart swell even more that Sanghyuk so eagerly kissed him back. He seemed as desperate for Hongbin’s taste as he was for Sanghyuk’s. Their tongues glided against each other which sent a spark down Hongbin’s spine. All he could think was that he needed more, more of Sanghyuk. 

 

They only broke their kiss when they heart something break. Sanghyuk looked over Hongbin’s head, while the latter twisted a bit around. Through the service hatch, they could see that Pumpkin had thrown one dish of pancakes down and was eating it joyfully. Sanghyuk groaned loudly and immediately picked up the shards. Hongbin helped him and made sure that Pumpkin didn’t hurt herself while also pushing her away from the pancakes. Too much sugar and that dog would go crazy. Once the shards and pancakes were in the trash, Hongbin and Sanghyuk looked at their dog who blinked innocently at them. 

 

“You cute little monster,” sighed Sanghyuk and started to ruffle a fur. No one could be angry at Pumpkin for far too long. Hongbin only shook his head and ruffled her as well. In the end, they shared a plate of pancakes and they tasted wonderful. 

 

“Since when can you cook this well?” asked Hongbin, still chewing on his last bite while Sanghyuk took a sip from his cup of coffee. A bad habit that he had copied from Hongbin who couldn’t live without four cups of coffee a day. Sanghyuk grinned around his cup. 

 

“I took some cooking lessons from Taekwoon,” answered Sanghyuk. Hongbin couldn’t imagine these two in a kitchen together. It was an image that just didn’t fit into his world. 

 

“Seriously? Why even bother? We can always go and eat there. I think Jaehwan would love it if I came around every day,” mused Hongbin, grabbing his own cup of coffee. 

 

“Well, I wanted to learn how to cook edible meals.”

 

“You’re a demon, you don’t even need to eat.”

 

“But you need to eat and all that junk food is not going to keep you healthy,” reprimanded Sanghyuk, lifting his finger warningly. Hongbin rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips. 

 

“And pancakes will?”

 

“Well there’s milk inside the dough and milk is healthy,” shrugged Sanghyuk with a grin. 

 

“Fries are made of potatoes and they’re not healthy.”

 

“Just appreciate my efforts to cook you good food. I just want to pamper you,” groaned Sanghyuk and Hongbin started laughing. The demon really cared about him and it made his heart swell. 

 

“You’re sweet,” said Hongbin with a smile, sounding super cheesy but he didn’t care. He was a bit too love drunk right now to care about anything else but Sanghyuk. 

 

“Well, thank you,” replied Sanghyuk as he put his cup down. One of his hands settled on the back of Hongbin’s neck and pulled him closer. Sanghyuk licked the corner of his lips. An electric impulse travelled through Hongbin’s body, waking his neurons from their slumber. 

 

“There was some syrup,” breathed Sanghyuk against his lips. Their eyes made contact and Hongbin could literally feel his own pupils dilate when he saw Sanghyuk’s hungry look. 

 

“Sure syrup,” said Hongbin as he got drunk on Sanghyuk’s eyes. The demon smirked and pulled Hongbin into a kiss. It was a bit uncomfortable because their chairs were so far apart but that wouldn’t stop them. Hongbin felt an ache in the back of his head from their position and tried to align himself. Sanghyuk noticed his struggle and pulled Hongbin into his lap without any struggle. Stupid demon power. Sanghyuk could easily lift him anytime he wanted. He had used that so often to get Hongbin out of the kitchen or off the couch. Usually it annoyed Hongbin that the demon was much stronger than him but now it was actually an advantage. His mind painted a picture of Sanghyuk carrying him into the bedroom and throwing him on the bed. That thought made him groan into their kiss and push him closer to Sanghyuk. The demon didn’t complain, only strengthened his grasp on Hongbin’s hips. 

 

They were too lost in their kiss to notice that Pumpkin’s head shot up and she walked towards the door, wagging her tail wildly. Hongbin was too focused on the feeling of Sanghyuk’s warmth encompassing his whole body and had a hard time holding back a moan. He didn’t want to seem too desperate, though Sanghyuk probably wouldn’t judge him. They didn’t hear the steps coming towards the living room and that they were watched by three pairs of eyes. One of them belonging to their dog. 

 

“That is disgusting. In front of Pumpkin, she’s just a child!” cried Jaehwan’s shrill voice and the lovers parted unwillingly. Hongbin didn’t even bother to climb off of Sanghyuk’s lap and simply threw a dark look at his best friend. Taekwoon looked at the ceiling, clearly flustered by the situation, unlike his boyfriend. 

 

“You never bother to announce yourself,” sighed Hongbin and stood up from Sanghyuk’s lap who only let him go reluctantly. 

 

“I texted you multiple times but I guess you were too busy to check your phone,” replied Jaehwan, looking disappointed as he sat down on the couch. Taekwoon was sitting on the floor, cuddling with Pumpkin as he always did. 

 

“Oh, that is still on silence in my pocket,” admitted Hongbin and scratched the back of his neck while smiling apologetically at his best friend. Jaehwan only rolled his eyes. 

 

“I don’t even want to know what happened between the two of you.”

 

“Actually you do because you’re nosy like that and it was only PG-13 stuff so don’t worry,” interjected Sanghyuk who pulled the chair Hongbin was sitting on towards him. It was no effort at all to him. 

 

“Too much information,” mumbled Taekwoon from the floor, his eyes focused on Pumpkin who had rolled on her back to get her stomach petted. 

 

“So I guess you two made up. About time. Thanks to me obviously!”

 

“For once he’s right. If he wouldn’t have burst into our flat yesterday and gave me a piece of his mind we would still ignore each other and not make out on a chair,” admitted Sanghyuk thoughtfully and wrapped one of his arms around Hongbin’s shoulder. It was good to know that Sanghyuk wanted as much physical contact as possible because it made Hongbin feel less desperate. The feeling for contact was mutual. 

 

“Yeah. He’ll hold it against us for eternity,” said Hongbin and glanced up at Sanghyuk. Their eyes held contact easily and they both started smiling. Two idiots in love. 

 

“Most probably,” mumbled Sanghyuk while mustering Hongbin, his eyes taking in every detail. It made Hongbin’s heart beat faster. Usually, he would be embarrassed to be all lovey-dovey in front of anyone but this was Sanghyuk and he didn’t care about anything else. He had the immense urge to kiss the demon but held back since Jaehwan would make choking noises in the background. He was certain of that. 

 

“You already sound like the most annoying couple of all time,” grunted Jaehwan and fell back into the cushions of the couch. Sanghyuk and Hongbin both visibly stiffened and the atmosphere was tense for a few minutes. They hadn’t talked about anything regarding their relationship. They had been too busy making out and eating pancakes. They looked at each other again, both unsure what they should say. Sanghyuk’s eyes softened in seconds when he beheld Hongbin and an affectionate smile spread on his lips. It was the loveliest smile Hongbin had ever seen on Sanghyuk and it made his heart beat one hundred times faster. In that moment, Hongbin realized that they didn’t have to talk about their relationship status. It was pretty much obvious. 

 

“Well, at least we’ll also be the best looking couple of all time,” said Sanghyuk still looking at Hongbin who smiled brightly. Time to change his relationship status on facebook to: dating a demon I accidentally summoned. 

 

“Yeah, we’ll be,” replied Hongbin, subtly agreeing to being a couple and made Sanghyuk smile radiantly. The demon didn’t think twice and kissed Hongbin, not caring that Taekwoon and Jaehwan were still in the room. Jaehwan made a choking noise as expected while Taekwoon said nothing and simply averted his eyes. 

 

“They’re so atrociously cute, I might throw up” gagged Jaehwan but had a smile on his lips, clearly happy for his best friend. 

 

“You wanted them to end up together in the first place,” interjected Taekwoon and glanced at his boyfriend who put his finger against his lip. Hongbin and Sanghyuk watched their exchange with amusement. 

 

“Keep your mouth shut, Taekwoon. They don’t need to know that,” hissed Jaehwan whereupon Taekwoon only shook his head and continued playing with Pumpkin. Jaehwan gazed thoughtfully at the new couple, probably planing a lot of couple dates in his head. Hongbin would bother about that later but for now, he would try to wrap his mind around the fact that he was dating a damn demon. It all could’ve worked out smoother without all the heartbreak and weeks not talking to each other but it was fine now. Hongbin didn’t want to bother with that anymore and simply enjoy his time with Sanghyuk. It was no use to think and cry about the past, you couldn’t change it anyway but you’re always able to change the future. 


	10. PART TEN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Note:** An early Merry Christmas to all those celebrate! To those who don't, have a great weekend! This is the last part of this story and I hope that you enjoy it very much. This chapter also entails smut (you've been waiting for it I know. Thanks for all your support ♥︎ and I'll hopefully see you soon on a new story. 
> 
> **Warning:** explicit sexual content!

**PART TEN**

 

They were a couple now but nothing really changed between them. They still constantly teased and annoyed each other. Sanghyuk still cooked dinner for Hongbin even though it started to taste very good, thanks to Taekwoon’s cooking lessons. They had started to steal each other’s clothes, though sometimes Hongbin’s shirts looked funny on Sanghyuk because they were a bit too short. Besides that and the fact that they made out a lot, nothing much had changed. 

 

Hongbin remembered when they went grocery shopping and that girl who had called them a couple from the start was their cashier again. Sanghyuk and he had bantered, as usual, fighting about some silly thing like “are spaghetti or macaroni better” and Sanghyuk had been so fed up after a while that he had kissed Hongbin to make him stop talking. It was nothing uncommon for Hongbin who had simply rolled his eyes and continued packing their groceries back into the cart. The cashier had stopped for a second and then said: “Finally,” before continuing with her work. Apparently, Jaehwan hadn’t been the only one that had waited for them to finally become an official couple. 

 

*******

 

Summer was slowly rolling into the city and neither of them had said the big three words yet. Jaehwan had pulled his hair in frustration when Hongbin had mentioned it. Hongbin had been close to saying it often. Actually every time Sanghyuk sent a soft smile Hongbin’s way. That smile that told Hongbin that he was loved and appreciated. Who the fuck needed words when there were such meaningful gestures? However, it was still important to Hongbin to say those words but they never left his mouth. His throat never seemed to work properly when he was about to say them and he looked like a gaping fish. Sanghyuk laughed at him most of the time and simply kissed Hongbin, knowing what he wanted to say. 

 

Hongbin was reading a book for university while wearing Sanghyuk’s favorite red hoodie and leaning against his boyfriend who watched a random TV show. Its volume was turned down so that Hongbin was still able to hear the rain pour in the background because it always soothed him. Rainy days were his favorite as long as he was inside and dry. However, it was nearly time for them to take a long walk with Pumpkin or else she would complain for the rest of the day. Hongbin was not ready to leave his couch whatsoever but Sanghyuk always forced him to go outside. 

 

He was still reading his book but had rested his head on Sanghyuk’s lap, making the demon hold the book for him. To anyone else, it might’ve looked weird but that’s how Hongbin got most of his reading done nowadays. It was far more comfortable than it seemed. However, he wasn’t really able to focus today. He was reading the same sentence for the tenth time now and was glad when Pumpkin walked towards him and licked his face. He laughed lightly and patted her head affectionately. 

 

“Time for a walk, my girl?” asked Sanghyuk, his attention immediately focused on the dog. Pumpkin whined and sat down in front of them, her usual sign that she wanted a walk. Hongbin sighed loudly and looked out of the window where it was still raining. Sanghyuk tapped his forehead, trying to get his attention.

 

“Stand up, lazy ass,” said Sanghyuk who in contrast to his words didn’t move at all either. They were both too comfortable to do anything but they had to. 

 

“I’m not lazy,” murmured Hongbin and tried to lift himself up. Sanghyuk helped him up but pulled Hongbin against his chest at the same time. Not really helpful but Hongbin didn’t mind. 

 

“Yes, you are.”

 

“I’m reading which is technically exercise for my eyes!”

 

“You always find an excuse. Come on, time to go for a walk,” Sanghyuk tried to encourage Hongbin but it wasn’t working at all. Hongbin wrapped his arms around Sanghyuk and only cuddled closer into his body warmth. Sanghyuk chuckled and started to massage Hongbin’s scalp. 

 

“Time to get soaked,” grumbled Hongbin into the material of Sanghyuk’s pullover. He could literally feel his boyfriend smirk behind his closed eyelids. 

 

“Hmm, I would love to see you soaked,” whispered Sanghyuk into his ear whereupon Hongbin faced him with an annoyed expression. 

 

“Pervert,” hissed Hongbin as he lightly punched Sanghyuk’s chest which led to him being tickled mercilessly. Hongbin barely had time to catch his breath after Sanghyuk was done agonizing him. The demon stood up and put on his shoes while Pumpkin jumped excitedly up and down. Hongbin watched them for a second, taking in the scene in front of him. This was his life now. He had left his loneliness behind, all the days were he had just sat at home pitying himself. Now, he had a dog that forced him to go out every day and an annoying demon boyfriend who also served as the most comfortable cushion. Hongbin was a damn lucky man, so he stopped groaning, got into some shoes and put Pumpkin on a leash. Sanghyuk smiled at him and took his hand. It was cheesy but Hongbin didn’t mind the cheesiness anymore. 

 

They were soaked in minutes but it was always worth it when they saw Pumpkin running through the puddles and biting the falling rain. Sanghyuk usually acted like a puppy himself and jumped into puddles, not only soaking himself but also Hongbin in the process. The latter had given up to reprimand Sanghyuk about that because that would only encourage him even more. While his two favorite creatures on this planet played in dirty puddles, he simply watched them fondly and ignored the cold rain that soaked his clothes. 

 

Sanghyuk walked towards him, his jeans dirty but with a bright grin on his lips. It always made Hongbin’s heart beat faster no matter how often he had seen it already. The demon stopped in front of him, so close that Hongbin had to tilt his head upwards and narrow his eyes so that no raindrops entered them. Sanghyuk pushed a few of Hongbin’s wet bangs from his forehead, his eyes roaming over Hongbin’s face. The streets were nearly empty because it was Sunday and no one bothered to leave their home, especially when the weather was this bad. For a moment it seemed as if it was only Sanghyuk and Hongbin plus Pumpkin that inhabited this city. 

 

One of Sanghyuk’s hands had settled on Hongbin’s hip, his warmth seeped through the thick material of Hongbin’s hoodie and it gave Hongbin shivers. Sanghyuk’s other hand held his cheek as he initiated eye contact. Hongbin could’ve sworn that Sanghyuk’s eyes flashed bright blue shortly as blue as the fire that Sanghyuk summoned from time to time. He wondered if it meant anything in particular but he didn’t ask, too mesmerized by Sanghyuk’s handsomeness. They were able to stare at each other for such a long time that it made other people uncomfortable. Hongbin didn’t shy away from Sanghyuk’s intense gaze but rather embraced it. It made him feel in the spotlight, the only thing that the demon could see in that moment. His heart lurched when Sanghyuk smiled softly at him and it reached his eyes. It always melted Hongbin’s heart. 

 

“I love you,” said Sanghyuk and those words hit Hongbin like bullets. He had no time to react because Sanghyuk pulled him into a passionate kiss. Usually, he would complain about this very cliché moment. Confessing and then kissing in the pouring rain as if they were in a cheesy romance movie. Hongbin had simply accepted the amount of cheesiness that had entered his life. It had been a lot before thanks to Jaehwan but Sanghyuk had doubled it. Hongbin simply shrugged and enjoyed their kiss. They had kissed a lot before but this one felt as if Sanghyuk was putting everything into it. Every emotion he felt for Hongbin and the latter could only take it. Absorb those emotions and keep them locked in his heart. He was kind of glad that it was raining so no one would see that a grown man and an ancient demon were crying while kissing each other. Hongbin tasted the saltiness of their tears on his tongue and Sanghyuk kissed it away until their kiss tasted sweet again. 

 

“I love you too,” mumbled Hongbin against Sanghyuk’s lips when they broke their kiss. The demon smiled brightly, grabbed Hongbin and spun him around. Hongbin literally clung to Sanghyuk but laughed loudly, not caring about the cold rain anymore. Only later they noticed that while they had been busy professing their love for each other, their beloved dog had decided to roll around in a very dirty puddle and was in need of a thorough bath. 

 

 

*******

 

After bathing Pumpkin and trying to get her as dry as possible, they were finally able to slip into some dry clothes or at least that had been the plan. Their dog was in the living room, sleeping peacefully in her bed and totally exhausted from all the running around in the rain. Hongbin had gone into the bedroom which he now shared with Sanghyuk because he wouldn’t let his boyfriend continue to sleep on the couch when his bed was big enough to fit both of them plus he really wanted to snuggle. 

 

Hongbin was slipping out of his soaked hoodie when two warm arms wrapped around his naked waist and he was pushed against Sanghyuk’s chest. He smiled because he had known that Sanghyuk wouldn’t miss a chance to touch his naked torso. The demon’s lips left soft kisses on his shoulder before latching themselves to Hongbin’s neck. That immediately had Hongbin’s blood boiling in anticipation. His lower body regions pulsed with pleasure and his head settled back on Sanghyuk’s shoulder, giving him more room to leave marks. Hongbin had noticed that the demon liked to leave big hickeys on Hongbin, especially on parts that were usually visible. At times it was really annoying because people tended to stare at the purple marks on Hongbin’s long neck a lot. 

 

“As usual you can’t keep your hands to yourself,” groaned Hongbin as the demon nibbled on his neck. He felt Sanghyuk smile against his skin before he licked a long stripe upwards. Hongbin shuddered, his legs turning to jelly. It was way too easy for Sanghyuk to make him weak. 

 

“You’re hot, it’s your own fault,” said Sanghyuk which made Hongbin roll his eyes as he nudged the demon with his elbow. 

 

“Sure. How about you take your damn pullover off and we’re at least equally undressed?”

 

“Your wish is my command,” whispered the demon, his tone very suggestive. His arms loosened themselves from Hongbin’s body who was able to face the demon now. He observed closely how his boyfriend took off his pullover and his upper body was on full display. Hongbin worked on his body a lot more than he would like to admit and it had earned him defined muscles but Sanghyuk seemed to do nothing and still looked as if he continuously worked out. Maybe demons were simply born with a six-pack. Hongbin never bothered to ask and simply enjoyed the view without complaining. 

 

Sanghyuk smirked at him and pulled Hongbin towards him so that their bodies were flush against each other. The demon’s warmth seeped into Hongbin’s skin and he felt as if he was burning up. They needed fewer clothes and more touching. Sanghyuk seemed to read his mind and started to work on Hongbin’s pants. They were still soaked from the rain so they were nearly like a second skin but one forceful tug from Sanghyuk’s hands and they slipped to the floor. Hongbin stepped out of them and returned the favor. 

 

Sanghyuk’s eyes flashed bright blue again as they roamed Hongbin’s body. The latter didn’t shy away from that look or tried to cover himself. This wasn’t their first time and he loved to bathe in those looks. A few heartbeats later their lips touched again. It was a slow and passionate kiss. One of those kisses that drove Hongbin insane. He always craved for more, just one more stroke of Sanghyuk’s tongue against his. Just one more moan vibrating in his mouth that rattled his whole body. During their slow kiss, they stumbled towards the bed. Hongbin lowered himself and made sure not to break the kiss. Soon he was pushed into the pillows with Sanghyuk hovering above him, desperate to keep their kiss going even though Hongbin’s human lungs screamed for air. 

 

At last, they broke their kiss and stared at each other for a few seconds. Both were panting but they had smiles on their red lips. Sanghyuk’s fingers danced over his abdomen before scratching him slightly. Hongbin gasped and his hands pulled at the demon’s hair. Those fingers wandered to his briefs and pulled them down slowly, very slowly. He felt as if he was about to lose his mind. Sanghyuk loved teasing him, pushing him to the edge and then pulling him back just to get him close again. Not tonight though. Tonight there would be no teasing or games because Hongbin’s body ached for Sanghyuk’s touch, to be as close as physically possible. 

 

Hongbin initiated another kiss between them while his hands worked themselves towards his boyfriend’s pelvis. Sanghyuk rarely bothered to wear any kind of underwear so Hongbin immediately touched naked skin. It was one of Sanghyuk’s quirks that he had only gotten to know once they had started dating. He had been flustered at first but most of the time it made things so much easier, especially if they wanted to have some fun in front of the TV. A hot shiver shot through Hongbin’s body as he thought about it. Sanghyuk had started to kiss down his neck, leaving marks while his fingers inched closer to Hongbin’s member. He wanted to play but Hongbin wasn’t up for that. Hongbin did something risky and hoped that it would work out. His hands grabbed Sanghyuk’s hips as he bit his boyfriend’s lips who was caught off guard. 

 

Hongbin used the demon’s shock to his advantage and flipped them around so that Sanghyuk was pressed into the pillows. The demon looked startled while Hongbin smirked down at him. 

 

“Didn’t see that coming,” admitted Sanghyuk but he seemed pleased. One of his hands rubbed circles into Hongbin’s hipbone. Hongbin settled himself perfectly on Sanghyuk’s lap, feeling his boyfriends cock press against his ass. They both gasped at the contact and moans soon followed when Hongbin started to move his hips a bit. Sanghyuk’s grip on his hips tightened and made Hongbin stop forcefully. 

 

“I don’t want to finish like that,” explained Sanghyuk breathless, his cheeks flushed red for once. Hongbin had never seen his boyfriend like this before. So wrecked and ready to burst. Pride swelled in his chest because he was the reason for this look. 

 

“Me neither,” assured Hongbin and one of his hands reached into the bedside drawer where they kept lube and condoms. Sanghyuk’s eyes followed his every movement and he didn’t intervene. He simply let Hongbin lead the way. It was rare for Sanghyuk to give up control, to let go of it and let Hongbin take the wheel for once. Hongbin couldn’t exactly describe what he felt. It was a mixture of exhilaration, pride, and lust. They all flooded his body as he took control of the situation. He handed Sanghyuk the tube of lube who immediately knew what to do. He put a nice amount of it on his fingers and then pressed them against Hongbin’s entrance. 

 

Sanghyuk didn’t move then and waited. He waited for Hongbin to do something because he was in charge. Hongbin gulped and took hold of Sanghyuk’s hand, pressing the lubed fingers closer to his entrance until one of them entered him. A gasp left his mouth as he sank himself on one finger. He had closed his eyes to fully enjoy the feeling but he felt Sanghyuk’s stare. The demon was drinking in the view in front of him, enjoying this just as much as Hongbin did. 

 

Once Hongbin was used to the feeling, he started to move his hips. Up and down. He opened his eyes to look at his boyfriend who seemed to have a hard time controlling himself. His blue hair was ruffled, his lips between his teeth and his eyes bright blue. For once, Hongbin was able to see the unearthliness of his boyfriend and feel it as well. The room was thick with power, nearly as strong as the first time Hongbin had summoned Sanghyuk. 

 

Another finger entered him and a moan slipped from his mouth. His cock was fully hard by now and aching but he didn’t want the touch. He needed to last. Sanghyuk was panting hard, just as hard as Hongbin who moved his hips in a slow rhythm. It was driving both of them insane but Sanghyuk would never fuck him without extensive preparation. Three fingers in and a fourth one was teasing his rim. Hongbin wanted to sob because he needed more, so much more. Electric pulses shot through his body as he rode Sanghyuk’s fingers. 

 

“Babe,” groaned Sanghyuk, his voice thick with frustration and lust. It sounded deeper and raspier than usual. Hongbin nearly came but found it in himself to stop the orgasm forcefully. Not yet. 

 

“Ye-Yeah,” gasped Hongbin, the movement of his hips not breaking their rhythm. 

 

“You look gorgeous.”

 

“Oh shut up.”

 

“No seriously. If you could only see yourself. Fuck, with your bitten lips and glassy eyes. It’s almost a miracle that I haven’t flipped you around already and pound into you like a maniac,” hissed Sanghyuk and his words drove Hongbin to the edge again. He was so close to letting go but his self-restraint was remarkable today. 

 

“Stop talking like that. Oh God.”

 

“So gorgeous.”

 

“Okay enough,” gasped Hongbin, griping Sanghyuk’s hand and pulling the fingers out of him. He bit his lips hard so that no whine would escape them. His hands were trembling but he managed to reach for one of the condoms and opened it without ripping it apart. Sanghyuk watched Hongbin carefully who pulled the condom over his hard member. The demon gulped and searched for eye contact. Hongbin met his stare once he had moved into the perfect position. 

 

They held their eye contact as Hongbin sank down on Sanghyuk’s cock. A moan tore itself from his lips while Sanghyuk growled lowly. It vibrated through his body and only intensified the feeling of utter bliss that spread through his whole body. He was so full and Sanghyuk fitted so perfectly inside of him. It made him want to sob out of sheer happiness. 

 

Hongbin lifted his hips after he had adjusted to Sanghyuk’s length. Once again they held eye contact as Hongbin started to bounce slowly on the demon’s lap. It was a slow, excruciating rhythm but Hongbin did it on purpose. He wanted to feel every inch of Sanghyuk enter and leave his body. His moans were low and his hands were settled on Sanghyuk’s abdomen, helping him to lift himself up and down. 

 

“Fuck! You drive me insane,” gasped Sanghyuk whose hands gripped Hongbin’s hips tight. They were helping to keep the latter upright and maybe push him a bit closer too. 

 

“Now you know how it feels.”

 

“You’re the devil.”

 

“Pfft. Says the demon,” laughed Hongbin and Sanghyuk grinned. Their smiles easily turned into gasps and moans. Hongbin threw his head back and Sanghyuk’s restraint seemed to finally snap. His hips snapped up forcefully and it was the best fucking feeling. 

 

“Oh God,” moaned Hongbin loudly, his head falling forward again and his rhythm started to quicken. Sanghyuk moved his hips as well now but it still wasn’t enough. Their rhythm still was too slow and soft. Sanghyuk loved the view of Hongbin riding him but he had to take the lead again. 

 

One second, Hongbin was on top and in the next his face was pressed into the sheets. His ass in the air and Sanghyuk’s grip hard on his hips. He felt the demon’s breath against the shell of his ear. 

 

“Let’s finish this the right way, honey,” whispered the demon into his ear before he entered Hongbin in one swift movement. Now, Sanghyuk’s rhythm was fast and hard, just the way Hongbin liked it. He loved it when he was able to moan into the pillows as the demon rammed into him at a speed that he had never experienced before. 

 

An infinite string of moans left Hongbin’s mouth as Sanghyuk hit all the right places inside of him. A fire had started in Hongbin’s abdomen and now spread through his whole body. His voice would be hoarse in the morning and the neighbors would murmur when they saw him but he didn’t care. He moaned louder, so close to the edge. One of Sanghyuk’s hands started to sneak towards his aching member and even thinking about being touched made his knees weak but he slapped the hand away. His boyfriend understood immediately, groaning behind him and quickening his thrusts. Hongbin wanted to come untouched and that thought alone made Sanghyuk go crazy. 

 

Their bodies were sweaty, the bed was creaking underneath them and Sanghyuk’s power was so thick around them it made Hongbin dizzy. His body wanted more. He didn’t know what but just more. He was so close and Sanghyuk pushed him so good that some tears escaped his eyes. 

 

“Fuck,” groaned Sanghyuk against his back and moved Hongbin’s legs a bit. That changed the angle just slightly but it had a huge effect. Hongbin arched his back as he started to chant Sanghyuk’s name in broken moans. He didn’t know how they always managed to last this long and he had the suspicion that Sanghyuk’s power might have something to do with that but he would worry about that later. Now his only thought was release. His body felt as if it was going to burst from his own skin. 

 

“You’re taking it so well baby. Come on, just a bit more. Fuck, you feel so good. Come for me,” hissed the demon in his ear, power laced through his words. It was as if he was pushing it into Hongbin’s body and he finally exploded. Profanities slipped from Hongbin’s lips mixed with Sanghyuk’s lips as he tainted the sheets with his cum. He tightened around Sanghyuk who moaned loudly and moved his hips faster before he finally reached his high as well. Aftershocks rattled Hongbin’s body as Sanghyuk’s thrusts slowed until they stopped completely. 

 

They both had to catch their breath before Sanghyuk slipped out of Hongbin and laid down next to him. He pulled Hongbin towards him and away from the spot Hongbin had left on the sheets. Hongbin was barely able to comprehend his surroundings let alone move his limbs and Sanghyuk moved him around like a doll. Still, he wasn’t going to complain because he was lying in his boyfriend’s arms. 

 

“Damn I do really love you,” sighed Sanghyuk and pulled him into a kiss. Hongbin rolled his eyes but enjoyed the kiss. 

 

“Is my ass that convincing?” asked Hongbin jokingly which earned him a wink from Sanghyuk who wrapped his arms around his hips. 

 

“Everything about you is but especially your ass,” answered the demon and lightly slapped Hongbin’s ass who turned bright red as he felt a spark in his lower abdomen. Sanghyuk’s eyes narrowed, knowledge reflected in them as a smirk spread on his lips. 

 

“Going to note down spanking as one of your kinks.”

 

Hongbin felt his face heat up and he was probably as red as a tomato and Sanghyuk would never let that slide. Luckily, his stomach started to growl in that moment and gave Hongbin an excuse to change the topic. 

 

“Oh shut up and make me something to eat,” demanded Hongbin, trying to keep his voice straight. Sanghyuk loosened his arms from his hips and climbed out of the bed. 

 

“As you wish, your kinky majesty.”

 

Sanghyuk winked at him, put on some sweatpants and made his way into the kitchen. Hongbin tousled his hair in frustration and yelled after the demon: “I hate you!”

 

“Love you too,” was the simple reply before the clanking of pans disturbed the silence of their apartment. Hongbin could hear Pumpkin stand up, interested in what was going on in the kitchen. Hongbin couldn’t stop smiling. He was one lucky asshole. Sometimes summoning a demon actually lead to something good. 

 


End file.
